St Mary’s College students Roxanne Oliver and Ben Aspinall, both from Blackburn, competed in the English Schools Athletics Association Finals in Boston, Lincolnshire and between them achieved 10 personal bests.

Roxanne, 17, competed in the heptathlon and scored five PBs in the 100m hurdles, 200m, the javelin, shot put and Long Jump. She is now ranked 19th in the UK.

Ben, 17, represented the Lancashire team in the Decathlon and also scored five PBs this time in the 100m sprint, 110m hurdles, 400m, shot put and pole vault. Ben is now ranked 23rd in the UK with his Decathlon team finishing fourth overall.

Both athletes are members of Blackburn Harriers and train 3-5 times a week.

Roxanne says on her achievement: “I have been working hard all year and I’m so pleased it has paid off”.

Ben says, “I really enjoyed competing against the best in the UK and I hope to continue to improve”.