Former Hockerill Anglo-European College student Brett Rushman on winning European cross country team gold after major health problems

Qualifying to make your international debut and winning a European gold medal at the first attempt would be considered an excellent achievement in the books of most sportsmen and sportswomen.

Brett Rushman did exactly that just before Christmas as he helped Great Britain & Northern Ireland take first place in the men’s under-23 team event at the European Cross Country Championships in Turkey.

But it was an even more remarkable effort for the Furneux Pelham athlete as he has had to overcome major health problems in the last few years, suffering from heart complications having been struck down with Covid on multiple occasions.

When you add in the fact he was in the bottom set for PE while studying at Hockerill Anglo-European College in Bishop’s Stortford, Brett’s story is truly a special one.

The 22-year-old is also part of a big running family, with his mum Deborah, 59, competing for GB & NI at masters level having first run for her home country of Northern Ireland at the age of 13.

Brett can often be seen lining up alongside his mum, dad Jon and 18-year-old brother Fynn at the Castle Park parkrun on a Saturday morning.

And he is hoping his European success with Team GB in Antalya in December can be the springboard to a professional career in the sport.

“I contracted Covid at least three times in the last four years and, as a result, my immune system was weakened. I would be massively affected by any sort of minor illness and it led to heart complications,” said Brett.

“The key was to focus on the basics, like getting good sleep, eating well, avoiding alcohol and just resting to allow my body to recover. This took time, but, gradually, I was able to get healthy and start training consistently.

“It definitely gave me a new appreciation for just being able to run and it built the foundation for the last year, which was capped off by my first GB vest.

“I’m hoping this is a stepping stone to going professional and achieving my childhood dreams in the sport.”

Brett works as a lab assistant at the University of Birmingham where he was studying liberal arts with music before he was first hit by Covid.

The autumn was the first time he had been able to put in a consistent block of training, so he was rightly over the moon to earn his place in the British squad by coming fourth in a qualifier in Liverpool in November.

He then produced another brilliant performance to come 13th in the 6km men’s under-23 race in a time of 18min 52sec and, crucially, be his nation’s third points scorer.

It meant his team, which also included race winner Will Barnicoat and third-placed David Stone, took the gold medal ahead of France and Denmark.

“The experience was, overall, pretty surreal,” said Brett, who also does road races, track races and indoor events, doing distances including 1,500m, 3,000m and 5,000m.

“I was still riding high from qualifying two weeks earlier. Luckily there were quite a few people from the University of Birmingham in the team so I felt comfortable being with the team at the hotel and on the course.

“It’s so hard to make GB teams as we are the most successful European nation, so just to be there, with runners that I’ve admired for many years, felt like an achievement. This helped going into the race as I didn’t fear the runners from other nations.

“The race was 6.3km with technical sections, like log crossings and sand, so I knew it would be tough. I just wanted to enjoy it and go for it.

“But coming 13th individually and being the third Brit from a team of six, was a great surprise. Only the top three runners from each nation counted towards the team scoring, so to have secured the gold for Team GB was such a buzz.”

It was also a proud moment for the whole family, with Deborah, Jon and Fynn watching on in Turkey and older sister Megan, who lives and works in London, cheering on from home.

Winning races and medals is something Deborah is also very familiar with as she has enjoyed a stellar running career.

Born in Enniskillen, she grew up in Ballymena and made her Northern Ireland debut aged 13 in the 800m at the Celtic International.

The retired office worker, who now does a number of voluntary roles, moved to London in 1989 before calling East Herts home.

Her most recent outing was at the Home International where she finished sixth and was part of a bronze-medal-winning team.

Upcoming events for Deborah, whose 5k parkrun personal best is 19.08, include the British Masters Half Marathon Championships in March.

She and Brett are both members of Ware-based Herts Phoenix Athletics Club where they are coached by Andy Hobdell.

Jon, who runs his own software company, and Fynn, who is set to join the Army in the Royal Engineers, are also Phoenix runners. Megan, who along with her brothers also attended Hockerill, has not caught the running bug, instead preferring swimming and skiing.

Brett’s big day in Turkey on December 8 was broadcast live on BBC iPlayer and Red Button before highlights were shown later that afternoon on BBC Two.

He is now dreaming of competing in more elite competitions for his country and more television appearances as he looks to write another chapter in an already great story.

“My friends were sending pictures of me on the BBC on the top of the podium,” said Brett. “Pretty surreal considering I was bottom set for PE at Hockerill.”