http://www.eadt.co.uk/news/teenager_triumphs_at_the_sudbury_fun_run_1_4471744
Teenager triumphs at the Sudbury Fun Run
Chris Shimwell
A teenager who was forced to leave his home country won the Sudbury Fun Run today at the first time of asking.
Ramadan Osman, 18, left Eritrea in 2014 and has settled in Colchester with his foster parents.
The Philip Morant student is a member of the Colchester and Tendring Athletics Club and completed the five-mile race in just 27mins 14secs.
“It’s amazing,” he said afterwards. “It’s very good and good fun. After three miles it was a little bit hilly but the other bits were good.”
His parents, two brothers and three sisters all still live in the east African country and Ramadan is unable to go back to visit them.
“After you’re 15 you have to join the army and I don’t want to be in the army, that’s the problem,” he said.
“I feel very upset but I can’t do anything about it.”
Ramadan’s coach John Hyland was with him for the race and said he joined the club about 18 months ago.
West Suffolk Athletics Club’s Megan Newton, running in the under-19 category, finished first in the women’s race with a time of 30mins 46secs.
It was fine weather for the race, which started in Station Road at 9.15am and finished in Belle Vue Park.
Received on Sat Mar 26 2016 - 07:13:12 EDT