Rowe Wins Gandy Mile at 2026 Loughborough International

Freddie Rowe made a dream start to life as a Novuna Great Britain and Northern Ireland athlete by winning the Gandy mile at the Loughborough International Athletics meet.

The 17-year-old was making his first appearance in the Novuna GB & NI U20 team and looked immediately at home.

Rowe (Havering AC, Patrick Gahagan) came home in a time of 4:04.10 to take the win ahead of Ted Higgins and Adam Brown and has already set his sights on breaking the four-minute barrier, having recently become the youngest winner of the Bannister Mile.

 

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He was one of a number of winners for the Novuna GB & NI U20 team with Ethan Franklin (Woodford Green AC with Essex Ladies, Gladys Bird) enjoying a particularly successful afternoon.

The sprinter was part of the men’s 4x100m team that triumphed in a time of 39.65 seconds. And he then followed that up by winning the men’s 200m in a time of 20.91 seconds, while relay colleague Farrell Fabusiwa (Croydon Harriers, Paul Weston) finished third.

There were twin successes in the 800m, Shaikira King (Wreake & Soar Valley, John Bigg) taking the women’s event in a season’s best of 2:03.65 before Matthew McKenna (Walton AC, Martin Norman) followed suit in the men’s in 1:52.17.

Ava James (Brighton & Hove AC, John Clements) came out on top in the women’s 3000m steeplechase, setting a new personal best of 10:06.78.

Charlie Mason (Cheltenham and County Harriers, Carolyn Franks) finished second in the javelin, also with a personal best, throwing 69.06m.

 

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There was plenty of success in the Novuna GB & NI para team as well, with Elliott Griffiths (Liverpool Harriers, Mike Holmes) winning the men’s para long jump and Rebecca Scott (Stevenage & North Herts AC, Joe McDonnell) doing the same in the women’s para long jump.

As well as some of the rising athletics talent, there were plenty of established stars on show, many of whom excelled.

Jeremiah Azu ran a season’s best 10.15 seconds to win the men’s 100m and Molly Caudery’s clearance of 4.61m saw her take the win in the women’s pole vault. Jazmin Sawyers also impressed, taking the women’s long jump with a leap of 6.46m.

Welsh sprinter Hannah Brier ran a personal best of 23.07 to take the women’s 200m, with Sophie Thomas (Dunfermline Track & Field Club, Agustin Rafael Paniagua Osorio) third for the Novuna GB & NI U20 team.

See all results HERE.