Is this teen athlete prodigy Britain's 'Greta Thunberg of sport'?

Meet the Greta Thunberg of sport: Record-breaking British athletics star, 16, pulls out of world championships in Australia because she refuses to fly

• Innes FitzGerald refused to fly to Australia due her to environmental ‘concerns’ 
• Writing to British Athletics the Devon teen said the decision had ‘not been easy’  

One of Britain’s brightest young athletic talents – tipped to be the next great distance running sensation – has refused to fly and compete at a world championships in Australia because of her ‘deep concern’ for the environment. 

Record-breaking Innes FitzGerald has been dubbed the ‘Greta Thunberg of sport’ after the 16-year-old wrote to British Athletics to tell them she will be pulling out of the World Cross Country Championships in Bathurst, New South Wales.  

The teenager from Devon, who exploded onto the national athletics scene at the start of last year and smashed the UK under-17 women’s 3000m record in Belfast, said she would not feel ‘comfortable’ taking the 10,000-mile flight Down Under. 

‘The reality of the travel fills me with deep concern,’ she wrote. ‘I would never be comfortable flying in the knowledge that people could be losing their livelihoods, homes and loved ones as a result. 

Nature-loving: Innes FitzGerald, 16, has been dubbed the ‘Greta Thunberg of sport’ after insisting she would not fly to a championships in Australia due to her environmental concerns

The A-level student from Devon is one of Britain’s rising stars, having smashed the UK under-17 3,000m record in Belfast last year. Here she competes in the European Cross Country Championships in Italy in December, after she took a 20-hour train trip

‘The least I can do is voice my solidarity with those suffering on the front line of climate breakdown. 

‘Coming to a decision has not been easy, however little compares to the grief I would feel taking the flight.’

‘The reality of travelling fills me with deep concern’: Eco-athlete’s full letter – revealed 

Dear British Athletics,

To have the opportunity to compete for Great Britain in Australia is a privilege. However, it is with great regret that I must decline this opportunity.

When I started running, the prospect of me competing in the World Cross Country Championships would have seemed merely a dream. However, the reality of the travel fills me with deep concern. I was just nine when the COP21 Paris Climate agreement was signed. Now, eight years on, and global emissions have been steadily increasing, sending us on a path to climate catastrophe.

Sir David King, former government chief scientific advisor, has said: ‘What we do, I believe, in the next three to four years will determine the future of humanity.’ The science is clear. Turning this around is only possible through transformational change from collective and personal action.

I would never be comfortable flying in the knowledge that people could be losing their livelihoods, homes and loved ones as a result. The least I can do is voice my solidarity with those suffering on the front line of climate breakdown. Coming to a decision has not been easy, however little compares to the grief I would feel taking the flight.

Kind regards, Innes FitzGerald 

Fitzgerald, who is studying for her A-levels, is touted as one of the most promising young athletes in the country.

As well as breaking the UK 3,000m record, she finished fourth in Turin last month in the under-20s European Cross Country Championships against athletes three years older.  

To avoid flying to the contest, the teenage eco-warrior took an overnight coach to Lille before travelling from Paris to north Italy on the train in a journey that took her more than 20 hours to complete – something she claims caused her to fatigue in the race.

‘Environmentally I didn’t want to fly. It’s just so damaging, I can’t really justify it,’ she said in an interview after her race.’

Fitzgerald, who lives near Exeter, said she was supported by her family, who all back her eco-friendly views.  

‘My family is as environmentally minded as I am,’ she said, Athletics Weekly reported. ‘We live in a passive house on a small holding growing fruit and vegetables. So my dad was happy for us not to fly. 

‘Aviation is the most energy intensive activity we can do and explodes a person’s carbon footprint. I don’t want that on my conscience.’ 

Her stance has been celebrated by Champions for Earth, which supports environmentally-friendly athletes, with the organisation describing her move to turn down her spot at the world championships as a ‘tortured decision’ to make. 

‘As a young person with Olympic dreams growing up during a climate and ecological emergency, she is balancing the dream of one day becoming a champion of the world, with a determination to be a champion for earth,’ Champions for Earth said.  

Innes is looking for sponsors and supporters who can help pay for more expensive public transport, accommodation and the eco-friendly kit she needs.  

‘It is clear that Innes has the steely determination and focus, combined with the courage and clarity to face a reality quite different to athletes of previous generations,’ added Champions for Earth. 

As well as securing her UK record, FitzGerald also enjoyed runaway victories over the winter at the Mini London Marathon and Euro Cross trials in Liverpool. 

Her recent successes meant she could have raced at the European Under-18 Championships in Jerusalem. 

However, she ruled this contest out, again citing her environmental concerns over flying to the Israeli capital. 

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