FAIRFAX, Va. – For Rachel Forder, the chance to share the stage with her country's best athletes presented not only an amazing opportunity but provided a building block for the future.

On Sunday, the George Mason freshman from England competed in the discus at the British Athletics Championships in Birmingham, England. The three-day meet served as the United Kingdom's Olympic Trials for the upcoming Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro in Brazil.

Forder finished 10th with a toss of 42.06 meters. The top two finishers in each event with the Olympic qualifying standard punched their ticket to Rio.

“I'm very happy to have been able to compete in such a prestigious event such as the British Championships/Olympic Trials against the best athletes in the country,” Forder said. “It was an amazing opportunity and I'm very proud to have been invited to compete. A huge thank you to (assistant) coach Becky (Hartley) and my teammates for pushing me to achieve the standard needed to get an invite to the event. 

"My throwing didn't quite go to plan today, but, for me, it was an incredible experience being there and competing against the athletes at the top of their game, getting ready to represent Team GB in Rio this summer. It was also a great building block for next year's NCAA competitions as a Patriot.”

The 19-year-old from London qualified for the British Athletics Championships with a personal-best toss of 46.22 meters at the VCU Ram Invite in March.

Forder finished in the top three at four events during the 2016 indoor and outdoor seasons, including a third-place finish in the discus to grab the bronze medal at the Atlantic 10 Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships last month.

“I congratulate Rachel on her performance at the UK Olympic Trials, which caps her strong rookie season as a Patriot,” George Mason throws coach Rebecca Hartley said. “It is a real pleasure working with such a hard-working, talented, young woman and fierce competitor.”