She began to make her first impact in the junior category in 2009. She was runner-up at the English junior cross country, won the junior section of the Cross Juan Muguerza in Spain and was the sixth placed junior at the prominent Cinque Mulini in Italy. These performances gained her a debut international appearance at the 2009 IAAF World Cross Country Championships. In the junior race she came 25th – the third best European behind team mates Lauren Howarth and Charlotte Purdue, which helped the British team to fourth place. Third place at the 3000 metres national junior trials brought her selection for the 2009 European Athletics Junior Championships, where she went on to claim the silver medal, being overtaken by winner Yelena Korobkina in the final straight. Further international medals followed at the 2009 European Cross Country Championships as she took the bronze and led the British junior women to second in the team rankings.