Emelia Gorecka could not hide her delight after winning her first major senior race at Great Edinburgh Cross-Country IAAF meeting on Saturday.

The 20-year-old GB International from Epsom battled against strong winds and slippery underfoot conditions of the 6km course at Holyrood Park in the Scottish capital to triumph in 21 minutes 26 seconds.

Ireland’s two-time European cross-country champion Fionnuala Britton came second in 21:33, with her fellow Team Europe colleague Trihas Gebre, from Spain, following in 21:50.

The victory was the perfect way to kick off Gorecka’s 2015 campaign after a poor performance at last month’s European Cross-Country Championships in Bulgaria where she finished 12th in the women’s U23s race.

She said: “I’m completely overwhelmed. It’s my first major senior win, it feels amazing.

“A lot of people said after the European Cross-Country Championships ‘What happened?’ “I just had to put it behind me and the best way to bounce back is have one of the best performances of my career.”

She added: “With the poor conditions and not knowing how I was going to run, I couldn’t have wished for anything better.

“To run domestic races is fantastic, but to perform well on an international stage is what I want to start doing consistently.

“I’ve started off on a brand new slate and that’s what I wanted, and that’s the right mental attitude to have.”

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