OUTSTANDING Forest athlete Emma Boyle has been selected to represent the Midland Counties in a regional competition at Watford in July.
Emma, 17, of Coleford, won the honour after taking the junior women's long jump title at the Midland Counties under 20s championships in Solihull.
A change in jumping technique and early season commitments have restricted Emma's training programme and she says she is still jumping below her best.
But she was delighted to add to her medal haul with a gold at the Midlands event, especially as the title has previously been won by top athlete Denise Lewis.
With the county and regional titles now under her belt Emma is spending the next few weeks concentrating on perfecting her new hitch-kick technique – a method she hopes will enable her to achieve greater distances as the season progresses.
At Watford next month Emma will be competing against long jumpers representing the North of England, South of England and Wales.