KENT schoolgirl Jenny Pereira achieved one of her best ever results at the weekend when she won the 3000m under-20s race at the Junior Boys' and Girls' Championships held in Barnet, North London.

Pereira, 17, from Maidstone, won in a time of 9:49.02, just four seconds below the championship record and her personal best.

The victory also marked her return to full fitness after a summer plagued by illness which has badly affected her training schedule.

Pereira, who runs for Medway and Maidstone AC said: “When I saw the field I knew I was in with a chance because I had the fastest time on paper and I was running on my own for most of the race and it was windy, which made it hard to get close to a record time, but this was the best I have run this year,” Pereira is the current Kent and Kent Schools cross country champion for her age group.