Double triumph in Varsity Cross Country

Many congratulations to St John's students Charlotte Dannatt and Luuk Metselaar, who competed in the Varsity Cross-Country match on 2 December 2017. Both the Oxford teams won their races.

Charlotte, a first-year Biomedical Sciences student (third from the right in the photo), was part of the 7-strong team in the 42nd Ladies Race, which Oxford won by 23 points to 34. 

She commented: 'It was such a fun day and the atmosphere was incredible - I've never been in a race like it! I absolutely loved the race and was so shocked and happy to place 4th overall and be the 3rd member of the Oxford team home, meaning I scored. The support from Oxford athletes, parents and past alumni around the course was incredible and I think played a huge role in allowing me to run to the best of my ability. The course was true to cross country, challenging, with steep muddy uphill sections and even running through a river near the start! The whole team were so thrilled to win and were all on cloud nine for the rest of the day. I was so happy to be able to contribute, and it was inspiring seeing all the other girls put in such gutsy performances for the team. The day got even better when the Oxford men's team won their race, which gave Oxford an overall 6-1 victory in the series, our best result in years! It made all the tough training sessions this term and the many miles run so worthwhile.'

Luuk, a postgraduate studying for a DPhil in Theoretical Physics, ran in the 8-strong Gentlemen’s team, which won their race by 37 points to 41.

The Varsity Cross-Country races are hosted by Thames Hare and Hounds, the oldest cross-country running club in the world, in southwest London. Oxford now leads the Gentlemen's series by 64 wins to 63, and the Ladies' series by 25 wins to 17. 

Oxford University Cross-Country Club