Rowan with his dog, Dirk.

A speedy 17-year-old student at Monmouth School for Boys has overcome treacherous conditions to win a prestigious European canicross title in Belgium.

Rowan teamed up with his dog, Dirk, to clinch the junior crown for Great Britain at the International Canicross Federation (ICF) European Championships in Chevetogne.

The duo were excellent over the very technical and hilly 5.5k course which had been battered by heavy rain.

Rowan, a Year 12 student at Monmouth, and Dirk finished the event ranked fourth out of the 324 competitors involved.

Canicross is a popular activity in Europe, where it is used to train dog-sled teams.

A sport of running off-road with your dog, the athlete wears a waistbelt which attaches via a line to a padded dog harness.

The sport is growing quickly in the UK with weekly competitions taking place across the country.

Rowan first started competing in canicross in 2010, initially with his kelpie cross, Henry, and then with Wima, who is taking a break from the sport.

Rowan also competed at the International Federation of Sleddog Sports (IFSS) Dryland World Championship in Nybro, Sweden.