Page 24 - Summer2016Gazette

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UKYDL National Finals Birmingham

September 2017

BHAC LAG team qualified most people’s throat.
Blackheath and Bromley for their final as South region The U13 boys as ever were a
Harriers Athletics Club are runners up to Southampton tight bunch and supported each
officially the best young athletes AC and were also up against other well through the ups and
track and field team in Great the Scottish champions and last downs of a National final. Be-
Britain having competed in years runners up Edinburgh ing multi talented Oles Chaban
both lower and upper finals in AC, along with the other best and Emmanuel Oniwinde were
Birmingham over the weekend. club teams from across Great on hand all day warmed up and
BBBHAC were the only club Britain. The competition was ready to go at short notice if
to have teams in both finals fierce and four teams crept needed in any event. They shad-
and while our LAG (lower age ahead with Southampton lead- owed the boys during warm
group) U13 and U15 boys and ing early on followed by North up and Oles even provided
girls placed a fantastic second in region champions Sale Harriers,
their final, the UAG (upper age BBHAC and Edinburgh. As the replacement spikes when one of
group) went one better winning afternoon progressed BBHAC the boys realised that most of
their final, securing a place in and Sale pulled level in front his had fallen out!!
the European final, completing with Southampton dropping First out on the field were
a historic weekend for the club. back to 3rd. With the final few Oliver Robertson and Ethan
The UAG girls were current events being contested and no Alapafuja in the high jump.
one club dominating the result
champions and excelled once was going to be tight. Ethan, in only his third high
again to retain the title but the jump competition ever jumped
UAG boys were outstanding A tense wait for the final results well equalling his personal best
and went one better than last saw Edinburgh AC 4th with as did Oliver before dashing off
year to grab the title for them- 536 points, Southampton in for the start of the hurdles. Oli-
selves and in doing so earning 3rd with 594.5 points, BBHAC ver is ranked 4th in the country
the right to represent Great Brit- second with 599 points and Sale over 75m hurdles and was all
ain in the European Champions 1st with 602 points proving fired up for his race but un-
Clubs Cup Final in 2018 along what an exciting and tense com- fortunately hit the first hurdle
side our girls. Britain has never petition it had been. Just 71/2 moving at pace and stumbled
had just one club representing points separated the top three losing a bit of ground, recovered
them in both boys and girls teams and only three points well but was disappointed to
and this represents a massive between BBHAC and Sale. A just miss out on the medals.
achievement. truly memorable final. Undeterred Oliver ran back
There were many outstand- to the high jump competition
ing moment including Holly where the bar had risen con-
Mpassy’s impressive 300m
race, earning her the “Norma siderably and was now at a new
Blaine MBE Award” for the PB height. Oliver had two great
most outstanding performance attempts at it but had to settle
of the day and Lily Meers had for an equal PB and silver, still
the stadium on their feet as impressive in the circumstances.
she showed so much guts and In the shot putt Ben Platt just
determination in holding off missed out on a medal with
her rival for most of her 1200m, his 7.12m throw. Sprinter Tom
with the last 100m being the Afelumo made his field event
most exciting end of the race, debut putting the shot over 8m
that saw Lily win by the smallest to win his first medal of the day,
of margins. It brought a lump to a silver.