Jackson 10th in European Championships

Leeds Met student and Carnegie scholar Jo Jackson finished 10th in the European Athletics Championships in the Women's 20km walk.

Despite the 8am start time, the temperatures were still in the high 20's on the streets of Barcelona as Jo Jackson recorded the highest ever finish by a British women in the European Championships in the race walking events. The performance also helped to banish the ghosts of her 2009 World Championships disappointment.

The field set of very cautiously and Jo was in the leading pack through the first 5km in 13th place. The race split apart at the 6km point and she held 12th place at 10km (46.24). Despite a rough patch in the 3rd quarter, Jo recovered well to pull herself into the Top 10 at the finish in 1.33.33.

Speaking after the race Jo said "The best thing was to get round with no cards, that's down to a lot of hard technical work in the winter. It made up for last year."

Originally from Redcar Jo has relocated to Leeds to base herself and train at the UK Athletics National Race Walking Centre at Leeds Met as well as study for a degree in Sports Performance at the University. Jo who was 21st in the Beijing Olympic Games and represented Great Britain in last years IAAF World Athletics Championships in Berlin, has been in excellent form this year.

She became the first British Athlete to make the Podium at an IAAF Race Walking Challenge meeting in Milan, Italy in May and broke her own British Record over 20km clocking 1.30.41 in the IAAF Challenge Meeting in La Coruna, Spain last month. She has also set National records over 10km this season.

Jo is coached by Dr Andi Drake the Carnegie Director of Race Walking and her mother Maureen Jackson.

Jo's attention will now turn to the Commonwealth Games in Delhi in October. Jo was the first athletes selected for England's team in April and she is currently ranked number 1 in the Commonwealth ahead of Australian rival Jess Rothwell, who recently spent a month at Leeds Met training alongside Jackson.

Jo's success is clearly rubbing off on her training partners, coursemates and housemates at the UK National Race Walking Centre as Alex Wright and Tom Bosworth have made huge progress in their first year as Senior athletes. They are currently the top 2 race walkers in Britain and have put themselves in the prime position to join Jo on the Plane to Delhi when the team is finalised in August. Over 20km Alex Wright Clocked 85.46 the fastest time by a British athlete since 2002 and Tom Bosworth won the English trial and has clocked inside the qualifying time.