Southend's super sports star Adam Hickey faces the biggest test yet of his exciting young athletics career this weekend when he makes his Great Britain debut.

Although only 16 years old, Southend High School boy Adam is part of the team contesting the junior men's race at Sunday's European Cross-Country Championships, being held at Heringsdorf, the second largest island in Germany.

Hickey qualified for this big date when he stepped up an age group to run the under-20 race at the recent trials and gained automatic Euro selection with his third place.

Although it's not unique, Hickey's feat in getting through at such a tender age is very unusual and he was flying out today with the British party for a trip which will see the athletes arrive in Berlin and then face a three-hour bus journey to an island that borders, and is part-owned, by Poland.

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