Hertfordshire skating team for 13-year-old medal winner

Mia Crane started skating at age 5 with Rollerstart, Malcom Chapman's community skate group

A 13-year-old roller-skater who won a gold medal is hoping to raise awareness of the sport alongside her new team.

Mia Crane, from Stevenage, Hertfordshire, won a gold medal and set a new record time at the Roller Speed Skating British Championship.

She participated in the long distance event for the 13 to 14 age category.

Her coach, Malcom Chapman, has now formed Hertfordshire's first roller speed team, the Herts Roller Speed Team, with Mia and others he trained.

Mia, who has been competing as an independent skater, set a record time of 34 minutes at the championship, which was held at Colchester Sports Park in Essex.

She set the record in her age group's longest distance event, 15,000-metre on the venue's newly inaugurated 1600-metre track.

Herts Roller Speed Team hope to compete on a national level against other clubs in England and also at international level

Mr Chapman, who has 40 years of experience in skating and coaching, said skaters like Mia showed the sport's potential for young people.

He said roller speed skating is "the UK's forgotten sport" because "people think speed skating is something that happens on ice."

"Roller speed skating is not only an exciting and physically demanding activity but also an excellent platform for instilling discipline, teamwork, and a healthy lifestyle in our youth," he said.

The teams consists of about 11 boys and girls aged between seven and 13-years-old.

Mr Chapman is hoping to secure sponsorship for the team to attend local, national and international competitions.