POLAM Hall student Emily Gauja is hoping to sprint, shoot and swim her way to glory in a national sporting competition.

Year ten student Emily, 14, is among a handful of schoolchildren selected to represent northern England at the National Winter Championships in Milton Keynes on March 17.

She will compete against the best youngsters in the country in the triathlon which will see competitors shoot air pistols at targets, swim as far as they can in three minutes and race over 1,500 metres.

Emily said: “I’m really happy to have been selected and for the chance to represent northern England against people from all over the country.

“This is a big final to be involved in, and I’m just going to try to be selected again for the team to take part in the end of season event in Milton Keynes in June where they have the additional sport of horse-riding.

“Polam Hall has helped me greatly, allowing me to use the grounds to train as part of my school day and the teachers have always been really supportive of me.”

Craig Wilkinson, head of PE at Polam Hall, said: “We’re all really proud of Emily. She’s a really motivated girl and very determined and competitive.

“She is a great role model for the younger girls at school, encouraging them to take part in many school sporting events like cross country and swimming.”