To promote physical culture and sports among youth, popularise running as a means of strengthening health, developing willpower, purposefulness, and the ability to overcome difficulties, and to identify the best teams and athletes, an annual autumn cross-country race for schoolchildren is held as part of the year-round sports competition. This year, 20 teams from secondary and basic educational institutions participated. Boys and girls born no later than 1998-1999 were admitted to the competition. Each sports team consisted of two girls, two boys, and one representative from the administration of the educational institution. A total of 78 people competed for victory in the area of Lake Sviatoe. Along the picturesque shore of this reservoir, boys had to run 2000 metres, and girls – 1000 metres.

Among the boys, Kirill Mazgo from Secondary School No. 1 was the first to cross the finish line. His result was seven minutes and eight seconds. Ilya Kurash, a student from Zaslonovo Secondary School, who took second place, lost to Kirill by only one second. Vladimir Vashuk from Borovoe Secondary School was one second behind Ilya.

The competition was fierce and close at the finish line for the girls as well. Daria Smazheuskaya, born in 2000, a student from Novavolosovitskaya Secondary School, won. She ran 1000 metres in three minutes and forty-one seconds. Natalya Starovoytova from Grigorovichi and Lyudmila Volkova from Starolepel Secondary School, who took second and third places respectively, crossed the finish line a few seconds later.

Teams from Secondary School No. 1 and Borovoe Secondary School scored an equal number of points – 60 each. The judges decided to award these teams joint first place. In this case, second place was not determined. Next, two more teams – Zaslonovo Secondary School and Novavolosovitskaya Secondary School – scored the highest number of points, 55 each, thus becoming the owners of joint third place.

Winners and prize-winners of the competition, both in individual and team standings, were awarded certificates by the education department of the district executive committee.

Tatsiana TORSHYNA,
Methodologist of the Education Department of the District Executive Committee