DESPITE losing his shoe at the first water jump in the English Schools’ Championships, John Millar continued the race to claim silver – his first national medal.
Having dislodged the shoe from his heel, after the next barrier, he decided to try to kick it off. However, seeing he hadn’t succeeded in kicking it off the track completely, he ran back 20 metres to make sure it wasn’t a potential hazard.
“I wasn’t thinking much at all and I didn’t panic,” says John, who had been fifth at the previous year’s championships. “I was really just focusing on relaxing into my pace so as to sustain it, and I really felt the support from the crowd. I was surprised that this pace took me into second.