Press Releases for
July, August & September 2012
25/09/12
Michael Skinner overcame a recent hamstring strain to
finish in 5th place in the Admiral Swansea Bay 10km. In a field of over 3000
runners, the Blackheath & Bromley athlete timed 30.21 and was the first
Briton to finish behind four Kenyan athletes, led home by Dominic Onduro.
Competing in Wales meant he had to miss racing in the
Southern 6 Stage Road Relays at Aldershot, however, even if he had run, it
is unlikely the mens team would have qualified for the National Road Relay
final next month. They finished a disappointing 43rd with first leg runner
Peter Tucker the fastest with a time of 19.53. The National relay won’t take
place at it’s traditional venue at Sutton Park because of an outbreak of
e-coli. An alternative venue is being sought.
Among those unavailable was Alex Bruce Littlewood who
not only is out in the United States, but also his girlfriend was giving
birth. Also abroad, Colin Norris and Ben Cockburn were in action in the
World Duathlon championships at Nancy in France. Colin finished in 6th place
in the 25 to 29 years age group in 1.56.34. Ben was 9th in the 20-24 years
age group. He was just outside 2 hours with 2.00.24.
Back at Aldershot, the Senior women finished in 30th
place but, with no qualifying standard, they are able to compete in the
National Relay. Captain Jane Bradshaw was the quickest on leg one in 14.51
with Amber Reed, Sarah Dowling and Hannah Garcia completing the scoring
team.
Best performance in the younger age groups came from
the under 15 girls where the trio of Shannon Riskey, Niamh Bridson Hubbard
and Jessica Keene finished in an excellent 6th place. Their times were
remarkably consistent with Shannon and Niamh clocking 11.23 and Jessica
11.20.
Showing good strength in depth the B team of Leah
Everson, Georgina Taylor and Mary Guy finished in 26th and the C team of
Joanna Clowes, Chloe Kibblewhite and Molly Dent were 68th.
In the under 17s age group the womens team of Anna
Myers, Lucy Sidey and Sonia Woolhouse were 25th and Will Fuller, Will Ruiz,
Tom Desborough and Richard Webb finished in 26th for the men.
The under 15 boys team of Anthony Cabellero, Marco
Arcuri, Josh Davidson and Charlie Davis were 33rd.
Jake Potter was the 11th fastest athlete of the day in
the under 13 boys race. He timed 10.42 in coming in 8th place on the opening
stage. George Pope, Harrison Parker and Joe Smith completed the scoring
quartet who finished in 16th.
The 6th Jim Day Memorial Pole Vault competition took
place at Sutton Arena. Remembering the Club’s former President it was an all
day extravaganza with 100 athletes in action with 97 lifetime best
clearances achieved by 44 athletes. Among these was Helena Coleman who set a
new best of 3.12 in the under 17 womens competition.
Mariette Terrisse Hilborne won the Senior Womens event
with a clearance of 3.82, a fine effort after her end of season rest.
The latest Bromley 5km Parkrun had added spice last
Saturday as it included an unofficial Mob Match between the Club and Croydon
Striders. Peter Tucker won the race in 17.12 with Finton Parkinson 3rd and
Dan Marks 9th. First woman to finish was Sarah Elmquist in 61st with Sarah
Belaon 63rd and Justine Eastbury 69th. Scoring 29 runners a team, B&B won by
231 points, 971 to 740.
As stated earlier, Pete Tucker was in action the
following day at the Southern Road Relays and Finton Parkinson and Justine
Eastbury raced too at the Tonbridge Half Marathon. Finton was 11th in 81.59
while Justine was 154th in 98.46.
18/09/12
A spirited team performance saw Blackheath & Bromley’s
under 20 women finish in 5th place in the A Final of the European Champion
Clubs Cup for Juniors which took place at Ljubljana in Slovenia. They were
just four points off a runners up spot which would have been their best ever
position in this event. They produced four individual wins and also took
first place in both the relays.
Dina Asher Smith was the female Athlete Of The Match with victories in both
the 100 and 200 metres. She set a new ECCCJ record in the short sprint
crossing the line in 11.70 well clear of the 12.46 second placer.
Moving on to the 200, an event in which she
represented Great Britain at the World Junior Championships in July, she set
her second ECCCJ record as she clocked 23.74. The margin of victory for the
Newstead Woods schoolgirl was massive as the runner up timed 25.10.
She completed a hat trick of gold medals when she
joined Lauren Stevens, Amara Lalemi Jacobs and Rachel Dickens in the 4x100
metres. They won by nearly one and a half seconds in 46.95.
Rachel had earlier won the 400 metres in 56.92 and she
too collected three gold medals as she was part of the 4x400 team, along
with Amara, Samantha Brown and Rachel Robinson, who won a close race in
3.56.95.
The Club’s other gold medal came in the field where
first time clearances up to 1.73 from Robyn Pettit saw her claim victory on
count back. She was just one centimetre off equalling her personal best.
Samantha Brown won silver in the 400 hurdles in 62.77
and there was bronze for Emilie Blackwell in the pole vault with a clearance
of 3.20. Rhiannon Jones just missed out on a medal in the 100 hurdles
finishing 4th in 15.46.
With the match very close points were very important
and so every athlete had a part to play. Credit, therefore, to the middle
distance quartet of Holly Fletcher (800), Hope Stenning (1500), Amber Reed
(3000) and Michelle Fewster (3000 steeplechase) who scored vital points on
the track.
In the field the Club were indebted also to the
contributions of Lauren Stevens (long jump), Evie Syron Russell (triple
jump), Ellie Duffy Penny (javelin), Ellie Dumper (hammer) and Gemma Brown
who set a new best in the shot of 9.66 as well as throwing a very useful
35.44 in the discus.
Having been the top womens team at last weeks National
Junior Athletics League Final, the Club will again represent the UK in next
years competition. With all but one of the team in Slovenia still eligible
to compete in 2013, it emphasises just how well they did to finish 5th in
the whole of Europe this year, and why they will be optimistic that they can
do even better next.
Also abroad Alex Bruce Littlewood finished in third
place in the Rice Invitational Cross Country Race at Houston, Texas. The
McNeese University student timed 16.51for the 6km course.
The Club hosted the annual Will Bolton Cross Country
Relays at Sparrows Den with athletes of all ages competing. Best performance
in the main race came from Andy Rayner. His time of 12.52 was the second
quickest of the day and he helped the mens team of himself, Alex Gibbins,
Colin Norris and Ben Cockburn to finish in 3rd place.
Katie Murray was the fastest woman from the Club in a
time of 16.09.
Best results in the youngsters relays came from the
under 15s girls whose A and B teams were first and second. The A team of
Shannon Riskey, Jessica Keene and Niamh Bridson Hubbard timed 39.17 while
the B team of Yasmin Austridge, Georgina Taylor and Mary Guy finished in
42.41.
There were two sets of medals also for the under 13
boys. The A team of Jake Potter, George Pope and Joe Smith won in 39.06 with
the B team third in 44.29.
The under 13s girls team of Tammy Falshaw, Chloe
Haffenden and Millie Haffenden finished in second place.
A mix of young and old were also in action at Erith where the Kent County
Under 13, Masters and Combined Events Championships took place.
A magnificent eleven golds were won by the Masters
with Rob Brown collecting three in the over 60s age group in the 100, 200
and 400. He also took silver in the 800. Mike Van Den Dobbelsteen won the
over 40s javelin with a distance of 48.89 and added bronze in the discus.
The peerless Allan Williams soared over 3.35 to win the over 50s pole vault
and confirm he is well and truly on the mend after injury. Peter Hamilton
won the over 60s 1500 and was also third in the 800. Gordon Hickey won a
complete set of medals with a first in the over 70s shot, silver in the
hammer and third in the javelin.
Barbara Terry won gold in all four throws in the over
60s age group. There was a runners up spot for Jackie Montgomery in the over
40s pole vault and for Alan Camp in the over 50s 5000 metres. Paul Stack
picked up bronze in the over 40s 100.
Harry Taylor enjoyed a good weekend in the under 13s
age group as he won gold in the 200 metres and was also second in the 100.
Further silvers came from Edward Adams in the boys high jump and from Olivia
Richer in the girls 150 metres. Edward also won bronze in the long jump and
75 metre hurdles, as did Naomi Kingston in the girls 1200 in a very quick
time of 3.53.86.
Dan Marks was the Clubs first finisher in the latest
Bromley 5km Parkrun at Norman Park. He finished in 4th place in 18.11 with
Andy Tucker 9th and Dick Griffin 32nd. Charlotte Stickings was first woman
from the Club to finish in 41st.
Fintan Parkinson won the event at Riddlesdown in 18.24
while Glenn Turner was runner up at Gladstone in 17.52. The first ever race
took place at Goddington Park with Mike Simms the Club’s first finisher in
60th.
11/09/12
As the curtain came down on the Olympics and
Paralympics, Blackheath & Bromley’s athletes showed the legacy torch is
burning brightly as they produced a remarkable set of performances at the
National Junior Athletics League Final at Derby. Although the combined men
and womens team had to settle for third place in the team contest on the
day, they produced 2 National records, 1 UK age best, 6 League records, and
7 Club Records. In addition, when the men and womens’ results were scored
separately the women were the best of the 8 teams on the day and so qualify
to represent the UK in the European Champion Clubs Cup for Juniors in 2013.
The team had their own Olympian on show in World
Junior Champion Adam Gemili and he enjoyed a memorable afternoon in his last
competition in the under 20 age group. He ran the fastest time by a Briton
for three years when he won the 200 metres in 20.38, over a second clear of
the field. This also bettered his own UK age 18 best set in last months
Samsung Diamond League meeting in Birmingham, and broke the League record
which had stood since 2003. It also improved his own Club Record.
It means that in Adam and James Alaka, the Club has
the top two fastest 200 metre runners in the country this year.
Set in 1993, the 100 metre League record had stood for
most of the League’s existence, but this fell too as Adam won by over half a
second in 10.21.
Teaming up with Reuben Fakoya Brooks, Ishmael Smith
John and Oliver Newport, he won his third gold of the day in the 4x100
metres; and there followed a rare outing in the 4x400 metres relay. He,
Oliver, Craig Morten and Jonathan Osbourne had to settle for second place in
3.20.48 with Adam contributing a 48.3 split.
Dina Asher Smith was in similarly devastating form.
Like Adam she represented Great Britain at the World Junior Championships in
July, yet she is still only an under 17, and has a further two years in the
under 20 age group.
She also set two new League records. Not only this,
her time of 23.49 in winning the 200 metres was a Club Under 17, Under 20
and Senior record. Her time of 11.65 for her victory in the 100 metres
equalled the existing League record.
To the relays and the Club fielded an under 17 team in
the 4x100. Dina was joined by twins Cheriece and Shannon Hylton and Vivien
Olatunji and the quartet swept to victory in a time of 46.35. Not only did
they win by over two seconds, their time is a new UK Club under 17 and under
20 record. It is also, of course, a Blackheath & Bromley Club record in
these age groups as well.
A perfect haul of medals was completed for Dina with a
fourth gold in the 4x400 along with Rachel Dickens, Amara Lalemi Jacobs and
Krystal Galley in 3.49.78.
The aforementioned Oliver Newport provided the 6th
League record of the day with his 7.53 wind assisted leap in the long jump.
As well as his relay efforts he also produced a useful 1.80 leap in the high
jump.
To put these League records in perspective, in 2011
only two new records were set all season. Before the Final, five records had
been set in four rounds of Area matches this year. For one Club to produce
six in one day is quite exceptional. It may be that these records last
forever as it seems likely the League will be replaced by a new competition
in 2013.
Pippa Woolven was one of those five athletes who broke
a League record earlier in the season. She did this in the 1500 steeplechase
but the World Junior representative did not compete in this event in Derby.
Instead she won the 3000 metres and was fourth in the 1500 metres.
Emilie Blackwell and Helena Coleman won both strings
of the pole vault, both with leaps of 3.05. Similarly to Helena, Shannon
Hylton’s winning time of 24.01 in the B string 200 metres would have won the
A string but for Dina Asher Smith’s effort, and she also won the B string
100 in an impressive 11.95, a new personal best and her first time under 12
seconds.
There were many other fine performances including A
string runners up spots for Rachel Dickens (400) and Lauren Stevens (long
jump) and third places for Louis Mascarenhas (discus), Craig Morten (400
hurdles), Rhiannon Jones (100 hurdles), Tom Parker (hammer), and Robyn
Pettit (high jump); plus a B string win for Sian Duffy Smart in the 100
hurdles.
As already stated the reward for the women was a place
in next years European Champion Clubs Cup for Juniors. They travel to
Slovenia this week for this years contest where they will aim to improve on
last years impressive third place.
At the end of the 2012 Britsih Triathlon Youth and
Junior Super Series, Kate Curran won the Youth category, taking part in six
races with four podium performances. These included victory in the
BritishYouth Duathlon Championships and the Youth event at the British
Triathlon Inter Regional Championships. She was 5th overall in the Youth
event last year.
In Solihull there was more success for the Club’s
athletes in the Masters Inter Area match. Mike van den Dobbelsteen won the
over 35s javelin with a throw of 50.83 and also finished in 5th place in the
discus. Shaun Lightman won the over 60s 2000 metre walk in 11.00.5, while
Peter Hannell, who is also an over 60 finished in 3rd place in the over 35s
race in 11.34.4. Peter Hamilton was third in the over 60s 3000 metres.
Still on race walking, David Hoben was 12th in the
Church to Church 19.4 mile race in Guernsey.
67 runners (down from 81 last year) competed in this
year's summer series of races for the Parris Memorial Shield. Each of the 6
races is approximately 5km on the road on a yacht handicap basis whereby the
slowest runner sets off first and the fastest sets off last with everyone
else setting off in between. In theory, all runners should finish more or
less together. Points are earned by competitors in each race based on their
finishing position with the winner being the person that has accumulated
most points over the course of the six races. The trophy is in honour of Roy
Parris, a former member who died of cancer in 1998.
The final race in the series was won by Clem Leon with
Gemma Lewis second and Mike Simms third. Joint fastest ladies on the night
were Sara Elmquist and Justine Eastbury in 20:45 and fastest man was under
17 Tom Desborough in 18:32. The contest for the overall Parris Memorial
Shield proved to be unbelievably close at the end. Going into the last race
long-time leader Justine Eastbury was 17 points ahead, but a PB by Clem Leon
reduced the gap so much that both athletes finished the season on 141 points
each. Therefore they are joint winners and will share the trophy between
them. This is the 2nd time in 3 years that the competition has ended in a
tie, with Chris Pike and Mick Jones sharing the honours in 2009.
The club and the race organisers are most grateful to
everyone who took part throughout the summer and special mention must go to
the following who competed in all 6 summer races: Graham Coates, Justine
Eastbury, Dick Griffin and Mick Jones.
Adam Atkinson was the Club’s first finisher in the
latest Bromley 5km Parkrun at Norman Park. He came second in a time of
17.10. Katie Murray won the womens race in 18.55 and was 15th overall. Andy
Tucker was second male in 10th with William Pope 18th.
4/09/12
Adam Gemili continued his appearances in the Samsung
Diamond League when he raced in the 100 metres at the meeting in Zurich,
Switzerland. The Blackheath & Bromley athlete finished in 2nd place in his
heat in a time of 10.15.
Montell Douglas was in action at the ISTAF meeting in
Berlin where she timed 12.01 for the 100 metres finishing third in the B
race.
More International success came courtesy of Kate Curran. She was part of the
Great Britain team who competed in the Aguilas ETU Triathlon European Youth
Championships in Spain. The team won bronze medals.
Having placed 3rd in the Area Final in July, the
Club’s youngsters came a very creditable 4th place in the National Young
Athletes Final at Manchester. They finished behind fellow Southern Clubs
Enfield & Haringey and Windsor SHE, who in turn were trumped by Edinburgh
AC, who won the National title for the first time.
As this was the Final, the match featured the top 8
teams in the country and competition was, of course, extremely strong.
However, the Club’s athletes featured prominently in many events with
performances of a very high quality.
In the under 17s age group twins Shannon and Cheriece
Hylton won the 200 and 300 metres respectively in Grade One times of 24.37
and 39.41. Shannon also ran a Grade One in finishing 2nd in the 100 metres
and both joined Vivien Olatunji and Oshuwa Ogbeta for victory in the 4x100
metres.
Cheriece was also a member of the winning womens 4x300
metre team together with Sonia Woolhouse, Holly Fletcher and Janae Galley.
More success came in the field where the Club won both
the men and womens discus events. Louis Mascerenhas took the mens title with
a throw of 47.32 while Gemma Brown claimed the womens crown with a distance
of 34.68. Both were National Grade One performances, as was that of Yemisi
Sofolarin, who won the womens B string with 34.39. But for Gemma’s effort,
Yemisi would have won the A string.
Louis also got a Grade One of 13.40 in the shot as did
Stefan Awokwandoh in the triple jump with a leap of 13.92.
Maya Bruney had an outstanding afternoon in the under
15s age group as she won both the A string 100 and 200 metre races in times
of 24.69 and 12.47. Both were Grade Ones, as was the leap of 5.02 by
Isabella Hilditch in the long jump. More sprint success came as the boys
4x100 quartet of Joshua Dalsan, Dotun Ayodele, Elliot Anderson and Gabriel
Ibitoye sped to victory in 46.03.
The sprint success continued in the under 13s age
group as Daniel Ndukwe ran Grade Ones of 12.75 and 25.70 in the A string 100
and 200 metres, as did Harry Taylor with 13.10 and 26.47 in the B strings.
Daniel also leapt a third Grade One with 4.73 in the long jump. Jake
Potter’s 4.48.54 in the 1500 was also a Grade One. The only A string winner
though was Asa Andrew who soared over 1.48 to win the high jump.
Best performances from the girls came from Naomi
Kingston who was 2nd in the 1200 in 3.58.63 and Magda Cienciala who leapt
4.40 in the long jump.
Of course there were many other fine performances from
other members of the team, details of which can be accessed via the Club
website together with pictures of the event.
Unfortunately there is no National team championships
for the Masters age group but, if there were, the Club would almost
certainly feature prominently. The highest level of team competition in
which they can compete is the Southern Counties Veterans AC Final, which
they won last Sunday at Ashford, regaining the title they last won in 2008.
This was a fine team performance in a match which was close throughout. They
eventually won by 11.5 points from Barnet.
Most successful age group was the over 60s where Rob
Brown won the 200 and Bob Minting the 800 and high jump. Colin Brand was
runner up in the shot and Javelin as was Dennis Wallington in the long jump.
Peter Hamilton was 3rd in the 3000 metres which meant they dropped few
points against the seven other teams. Not only this, some also competed in
the younger age group events.
Allan Williams returned to the team after a career threatening injury and
cleared 3.60 to win the over 50s pole vault. Further victories came from
Steve Langdon in the javelin and Alan Camp in the 3000 metres.
Steve Timmins enjoyed victories in both the shot and
discus in the over 35s age group. Michael Champion won the 100 metres and
was part of the sprint relay winning team along with Richard Holt, Paul
Stack and Clem Leon.
Many others made a big contribution to the overall
victory by ensuring that all events were covered. Full results can be
obtained via the Club website
More good news came with the Club winning their fifth
and final Division Two match in the Southern Athletics League. This means
they have remained unbeaten all season and, as champions, secure the one and
only automatic promotion place back to Division One.
It was a comprehensive victory as the Club won with
245 points from second placed East Grinstead who scored 161.5. There was no
margin for error as, if they hadn’t won, the chances were that they would
have missed out on the Championship title as Brighton were favourites to win
their fixture and had better match points if the two clubs tied on League
points.
The team started the afternoon on the track with 15
wins in the first 16 events and only looked back on one occasion when it was
announced they were trailing East Grinstead by two points. This was surely
incorrect, but could not be taken for granted, and the squad responded with
a hatful of further victories culminating in a clean sweep of wins in all
four relays.
It was not, and never is, a case of just winning some
events. Every string of every event needs to be filled or else all the good
work is undone. The squad recognised this and so after winning the pole
vault Mariette Terisse Hilborne won the B string 3000 metres. Debutant
Daniel Kennedy raced the 1500 metres and, barely having time to catch
breath, was back in action 20 minutes later to run the steeplechase.
A string of others performed heroics such as Lewis Ely
who travelled down from Kings Lynn to win the high jump but then hurt
himself in the long jump and so was unable to compete in the 110 hurdles
which he was going to attempt for the first time. Full results will appear
soon.
Dan Marks was the Club’s first finisher at the latest
Bromley 5km park run at Norman Park. He finished in 6th place in 18.22 with
Andy Tucker 7th and David Beadle 13th. First woman from the Club was Justine
Eastbury in 77th.
Elsewhere Chris Pike was 21st at Bexley; Mary Guy 39th
at Crystal Palace; Adam Atkinson 3rd at Dulwich; Carolyna Jones Baldock 41st
at Eastleigh; Glen Turner 1st at Gladstone; and Niamh Bridson Hubbard 12th
at Greenwich.
28/08/12
Adam Gemili ran the second fastest ever 200 time by a
Junior Briton at the Samsung Diamond League in Birmingham. The 18 year old
Blackheath & Bromley athlete finished in 6th place in 20.53 one place ahead
of Christian Malcolm, who competed in the event at the Olympics and who
remains the holder of the British Junior Record.
Montell Douglas competed in the heats of the womens
100 metres timing 11.81
More success came at the Inter Counties Championships
at Bedford where the Club had two winners. Serita Solomon won the 100 metre
hurdles in 13.42 while Izzy Jeffs took the javelin title with a distance of
51.68.
Liz Hughes was third in the pole vault with a
clearance of 3.40 with Rachel Arnheim 5th in 3.30.
In the 400 hurdles, under 20 Samantha Brown was 6th in
63.46 while another junior Oliver Newport leapt 6.86 in the long jump. Grace
Sheppard was 5th in the 200 metres in 25.54.
At the European Masters Championships at Zittau in
Germany, Mike van den Dobbelsteen was 12th in the over 40s javelin with a
distance of 49.56
Champagne bottles all round for Club members in the
Pilgrim Way Run, a very hilly uneven 8.6 mile multi terrain course. The Club
won the team race courtesy of Fintan Parkinson, Tony Crowder, Brendan
McShane and Jane Bradshaw. Not only this, Jane Bradshaw was the first woman
to finish and also the first veteran lady.
It has been a busy few days for the Clubs walkers. On
Monday the 21st Shaun Lightman won the VAC 5 Mile Summer League race at
Battersea in a time of 43.51 with Peter Hannell 4th and David Hoben 7th.
Scarcely pausing for breath they were back in action on the Wednesday
evening at the Surrey Walking Club 3km open race at Norman Park. Here Shaun
was 2nd in 17.00.5 followed by Peter in the third, 17.40.2. Club President
Steve Hollingdale made a welcome appearance in 8th place in 19.30.9 and
David Hoben was 10th in 20.42.1.
Fast forward to Saturday and David was 5th in the LICC
5km walk in 34.24.76 while on Sunday Peter was 3rd in the Vets AC 3km track
walk in 17.38.08.
Fintan Parkinson was the Club’s first finisher in the
latest Bromley 5km Park Run at Norman Park. He finished in third place in a
time of 18.15 with Bailey Stickings in 9th and Jamie Gosnell in 16th. Amber
Reed finished in 20th place and was the first woman overall. Charlotte
Stickings was 45th and Megan Beaman-Browne 214th.
Club members were in action in various other Parkruns
around the country. Pete Rogers was 32nd at Dulwich; Scott and Nigel Bulmer
22nd and 23rd respectively at Eastbourne; Chris Pike 19th at Greenwich; and
Ian Young 44th at Poole.
21/08/12
Having become World Junior 100 metre champion and just
missing out on a place in the Olympic Final, Adam Gemili is now much in
demand on the European race scene. First stop for the 18 year old Blackheath
& Bromley athlete was the Samsung Diamond League Meeting in Stockholm last
Friday evening.
Wearing his Club vest he finished in 5th place in the
100 metres in a time of 10.22. This weekend he will be running the 200
metres at the next race in the series at Birmingham.
The timing of flights meant he was unable to be at
Norman Park as the Club hosted the final British Athletics League Division
Two match of the season. The team finished in 4th equal position which means
they ended the year in 5th overall.
This is some way off the promotion place they had been
looking for, but there is plenty of talent in the squad to form the basis of
a team to challenge for the Divisional title next year.
There were no individual winners on the day but there
would have been had Dan Putnam not pulled up with injury in the 400 metres.
He looked to be on for a personal best until a hamstring problem left him
sprawled on the track. He had earlier finished second in the 100 metres with
Duayne Bovell winning the B string in a very useful 10.85.
Captain Mike Skinner had to settle for second place in
the 1500 metres just missing out in a sprint finish and just 25 minutes
later toed the line in the 5000 metres. The blazing heat ensured this was no
warm down and he did well to close in third place.
Jermaine Olasan was the Club’s other second placer as
he finished runner up in the long jump with a leap of 7.27.
Ed Harrison had his first race back following an
abductor injury and he did well to claim third in the A string 400 hurdles.
Other third places came from Lewis Ely in the high jump and Craig Baker in
the javelin.
Craig Morten made a good debut for the team in
finishing second in the B string 400 hurdles and he also ran both the 400
and the 4x400.
The Club were most grateful to Richard Daniel for
stepping in at extremely short notice to compete in the 3000 metres
steeplechase. The three points he scored helped ensure the team were 4th
equal rather than 5th. However, everyone played their part in achieving this
result.
Sunday saw a Summer Olympic Lunch at the Clubhouse in
Hayes with a number of the Club’s Olympians present. Adam Gemili was the
newest and youngest Olympian in attendance and he was joined by 92 year old
Jack Braughton (5000 metres London 1948), Shaun Lightman (50km walk Mexico
1968), Margaret Baldwin (800 Munich 1972), Buster Watson (200 metres Los
Angeles 1984) and Tawanda Chiwira (400 and 4x400 Atlanta 1996 and Sydney
2000).
It was a very special afternoon with many tales told,
good company and good food plus an Olympic flag and torch. Pictures of the
event can be found on the Club website.
A number of the Club’s potential Olympians of the
future were competing at the National Under 17 and Under 15 Championships at
Bedford with Dina Asher Smith and Maya Bruney both winning titles.
Dina actually won two events. The John Blackie coached
athlete, who earlier this Summer represented Great Britain at the World
Junior Championships, took the 100 metres in 11.63 and then won the 200
metres by nearly a full second in 23.80. Second place in this was Shannon
Hylton in 24.79 who is also coached by John.
Maya almost replicated Dina’s achievement in the Under
15 age group with Gold in the 100 and silver in the 200. However, this was
only half the story. She set a new best of 12.07 in the heats of the 100. In
the final seven of the athletes did not hear a recall gun and ran the whole
of the race with Maya stopping the clock first in a new best of 11.85.
It was decided the race would have to be rerun and 30
minutes later they lined up on the start line again. After another false
start, the race finally got underway and Maya made no mistake in claiming
the title in a new best of 11.82, retaining the title she won last year.
Her time had an above the legal limit following wind
of +2.3 metres per second but is a Club record for a wind assisted
performance. It also equalled the Championship Record, albeit wind assisted.
On to the 200 metres and she was a hundredth of a
second off her best in the heats with 24.74 before setting a new pb of 24.65
in winning the silver medal.
More success came courtesy of Cheriece Hylton who won
silver in the Under 17 womens 300 metres in 39.70 and from Stefan Amokwandoh
with a bronze in the mens triple jump with a leap of 14.08.
Yemisi Sofolarin and Gemma Brown were 6th and 11th in
the under 17 discus and Isabella Hilditch and Jamilya Robinson Pascal placed
7th and 12th in the under 15 girls long jump. Shannon Riskey timed 2.24.76
in the heats of the 800.
There was good news too this week for the Clubs Junior
team. They have qualified for the National Junior Athletic League Final at
Derby on the 9th of September. This follows a paper match between the third
and fourth finishing teams from the three Area Premier Leagues. As well as
the chance to become National Champions, the top mens and womens teams at
Derby will represent the United Kingdom in the European Champions Clubs Cup
for Juniors in 2013.
Blackheath & Bromley’s under 20 women achieved this
for the 7th year in a row last year and travel to Ljubljana in Slovenia the
week after Derby to represent the UK in this years competition.
Shaun Lightman finished in 4th place in the 3000
metres walk at the Veterans AC track meeting at Battersea Park on the 15th
of August. He timed 16.35.5 with Peter Hannell in 5th place in 17.45.7.
David Hoben was 8th in 20.21.4.
A few days earlier on the 11th, David had taken part
in the 43rd Annual Death March 100km in Antwerp, Belgium, an event which
remembers those who suffered in the World War Two. He timed 17 hours and 33
minutes. He was back in action again on the 18th when he finished in 19th
place in the Enfield League track 3000 metres race. His time was 20.47.
Andy Rayner had to miss the British League match at
Norman Park as he had to attend a wedding, but he did win the latest Bromley
Parkrun earlier in the day. His time over the 5km course was a very useful
15.18. William Fuller in 10th, Fintan Parkinson 13th and Andy Tucker 16th
all made the top 20. Sarah Belaon was the Club’s first female finisher in
41st one place ahead of Justine Eastbury.
Club members featured in numerous other Parkrun races
across the country. Joshua Davidson was 2nd at Barrow; Bailey, Charlotte and
Lewis Stickings 11th, 16th and 30th at Bexley; Pete Rogers 44th at Dulwich;
Glenn Turner 21st at Gladstone; Niamh Bridson Hubbard 8th at Greenwich;
Brendan McShane 2nd at Lloyd Park; Ian Young 66th at Poole; and Mike Simms
52nd at Princes park.
14/08/12
There were no medals for Blackheath & Bromley’s new
Olympians Scott Overall and Adam Gemili at the London Games, but what they
did win in taking on the best in the World was massive support for their
efforts; huge appreciation of their achievement in being there; and
widespread admiration for the way they conducted themselves throughout.
Hopes that the marathon would be run in kinder
conditions than at recent Olympics did not materialise as temperatures
soared. The heat affected all runners with only three athletes dipping under
2 hours 10 minutes for the distance when 132 have done so in the world this
year.
Scott finished in 61st place in a time of 2.22.37
which was 12 minutes down on the time he ran at Berlin to qualify for the
British team. He felt that he’d only run about 18 miles as after being
reasonably well placed the heat took it‘s toll. The last of the four six
mile laps was a survival exercise.
Reflecting on the race, he thought he probably went
off a little to quick for the conditions, but given the shouting and
cheering from the thousands lining the route, it would have been difficult
not too.
He believes there is still much he can achieve at the
Marathon distance and his next target is the New York event in November.
Disappointment too for Adam in the heats of the 4x100
metres relay. The Great Britain team were disqualified due to an
infringement on his changeover and so they did not progress to the final.
The time they clocked in crossing the line was 37.93, the quickest by a
British team for five years. They had the potential to win medals in the
final but you’ve got to be in it to win it and they weren’t.
“Quite gutted about last night because on the right
day we would have been in contention for sure. I will learn from what
happened and move on to the future.” said the 18 year old who has impressed
everyone with his mature attitude.
Adam and his under 20 team mates will have to wait for
the results of a paper match to determine if they have qualified for this
years National Junior Athletics League Final at Derby on the 9th of
September. They finished in third place in the final match of the Southern
Premier Division season at Copthall which means they missed out on the two
automatic qualification places.
Six of the eight final places come from the top two
finishers in the three Area Divisions. The third and fourth placers from
each Area are then entered into a paper match based on each clubs
performances over the season with the top two gaining the remaining places
in the Final.
Despite the heat, it was still quite windy but this
did not stop Dina Asher Smith from completing a sprint double. She won the
100 in 11.98 and then the 200 in 24.57. She was also part of the winning
4x100 metres quartet along with Vivien Olatunji, Amara Lalemi Jacobs and
Rachel Dickens. Rachel had earlier won the 400 metres in 56.61.
Pippa Woolven set a new best of 9.53.55 in the 3000
metres as she won the race by half a minute.
A number of athletes competed in the Jumps and Throws
Festival in Birmingham and, although no personal bests were set, Liz Hughes
did produce an over 35s Club record in the womens pole vault as she soared
over 3.56. Mariette Terrise Hilborne cleared 3.91 to finish second in her
pool while Rachel Arnheim was 4th in 3.61. There was a winner, however, as
Isabelle Jeffs was first in the javelin with a throw of 52.96.
Four athletes competed in the long jump, the best of
whom was Jermaine Olasan who leapt 7.24 followed by Oliver Newport 7.14, Joe
Lawrence 6.97 and Stefan Amokwandoh 6.19. Stefan also recorded 13.63 in the
triple jump. Lewis Ely cleared 1.90 in the high jump.
The Friendship Walks at Enfield gave the Walking
Community the opportunity to welcome both those who might be interested in
taking up the Sport and those visiting Britain for the Olympics. Around a
100 took part. Shaun Lightman finished in 12th place in the 5 mile event in
a time of 47.11 while Dave Hoben was 28th in 56.05.
Dan Marks was the first Club finisher in the latest
Bromley 5km Park run at Norman Park. He was 5th in 18.23 with Fintan
Parkinson 7th and Andy Tucker 9th. Justine Eastbury was first woman from the
Club in 51st with Megan Beaman-Browne second.
Brendan McShane was 7th at Riddlesdown with Jessica
Keene 15th while Peter Hamilton was 20th at Dulwich and Adrian Haley and
Carolyna Jones Baldock 52nd and 56th respectively at Eastleigh.
This Saturday the 18th, the Club hosts the final
British Athletics League match of the season at Norman Park. This is a rare
opportunity to see many of the Clubs top Senior men in action on home
ground. To add to the occasion there will be a BBQ and beer tent. The first
event is 12.30 and the meeting finishes at 5.30.
7/08/12
Adam Gemili added to his growing global reputation as
he just missed out on a place in the 100 metres Final at the Olympic Games
in London. Having become the World Junior Champion last month, the
Blackheath & Bromley athlete showed that despite still being only 18 he is
able be competitive with the Worlds top Seniors as well.
He had his first race against senior athletes just 16
months ago at Kingston in the Sward and Kinnaird Trophy Meeting. Little did
he think then that in such a short space of time he would be competing
across London at Stratford in the Olympics.
The heats of the 100 metes saw him line up against the
Jamaican Asafa Powell, who has run the most sub 10 second races in history.
Adam had perhaps his best ever start to a race and finished second to Powell
in 10.11.
On to a semi final where he was drawn against reigning
World Champion Yohan Blake and American record holder Tyson Gay. These two
took the automatic qualifying places but Adam took third in a dip finish
clocking his second fastest ever time of 10.06 just one hundredth slower
than his best. He just missed out on a place in the final as a fastest
loser.
He felt that his start in the semi was not as good as
it could have been but overall was happy with his performance at the Games.
Not only did he perform well, his mature attitude should hold him in good
stead for the future.
While most eyes have been on London, Jermaine Olasan
travelled to Sweden for the Folksam Challenge at Molndal. After taking a six
week break mid season to dip back into some heavier training, he finished in
4th place in the long jump in his second competition back with a leap of
7.21.
Clem Leon finished in 4th place in the over 55s age
group at the British Masters Decathlon Championships at Horspath. He scored
5263 points . His best event was the 100 metres where he timed 13.36 to
score 753 points. He was also over 700 points in the 400 metres. His time of
61.30 scored 732. He also produced the best high jump of the competition
with a clearance of 1.51.
In the accompanying 10,000 metre championship Peter
Hamilton was 5th in the over 60s age group in a time of 40.28.73.
Some of the Club’s top pole vaulters were in action at
a special invitation event at Lewes in Sussex. Mariette Terisse-Hilborne
continued her fine form with a clearance of 3.90 to win her pool with Rachel
Arnheim 4th with 3.40; Liz Hughes 6th in 3.30 and Murray Hilborne 9th in
2.90.
In a similar event at Ashford, under 17 Helena Coleman
equalled her personal best as she cleared 3.10 for the second week in a row.
In the penultimate Veterans AC League 5 mile Race Walk
of the Summer at Battersea Park, Peter Hannell finished in 6th place in 50
minutes and 6 seconds. David Hoben was 12th in 56.10.
Youngster Thomas Desborough won the Club 5000 metre
Championship in 18.01.3 with Andy Tucker 2nd in 18.16.9 and Brendan McShane
third in 18.53.0. Andrea Pickup was 5th overall to win the womens race in
19.32.6 followed by Rosie Ferguson 9th in 21.00.5 and Sally Haffenden 13th
in 21.46.
The race incorporated the latest race in the series
for the John Hoy Trophy, awarded on the basis of age related performance
tables. Current leader is Helen Godsell on 95 points just one clear of
Graham Coates with Rob Brown third on 85.
It also incorporated the penultimate race in the
Middle Distance Grand Prix. After five of the six races Rosie Ferguson heads
the womens event with Andrea Pickup second and Helen Godsell third. Andy
Tucker leads the mens event with Graham Coates second and Thomas Desborough
third.
Tom was back in action again in the Bromley 5km park
run which takes place at Norman Park each Saturday morning. He was the
Club’s first finisher in 11th overall with Andy Tucker 12th and Jake Potter
16th. First woman to finish from the Club was Justine Eastbury in 47th with
Sarah Belaon 58th and Chloe Kibblewhite 143rd.
Chris Pike was 14th in the event at Greenwich and
Helen Godsell 26th at Riddlesdown.
31/07/12
Blackheath and Bromley’s Senior Women are now
officially one of the three best teams in the country as they finished in
third place in the UK Womens League for the 2012 season. They were actually
fifth in the final match of the season at Swansea but, such was the strength
of their position prior to the match, they held third place overall. This is
the Club’s best ever position and represents remarkable progress since they
qualified for the League in 2004.
Best result on the day came from British 100 metre
record holder Montell Douglas who won both the short sprint and the 200
metre races. The strong headwind militated against fast times but she still
clocked 11.99 and 24.61in her races.
Serita Solomon was the other winner as she was the
only athlete to dip under 14 seconds in the 100 metre hurdles with a 13.97
clocking.
There was nearly a third individual victory but
Mariette Terisse Hilborne had to settle for second place in the pole vault
on countback with a clearance of 3.80. Izzy Jeffs would have won the javelin
contest had it not been judged that what looked like two perfectly good
throws were fouls. Her fellow competitors thought they were legal. She ended
with no distance recorded.
With Shaunagh Brown absent competing at the Highland
Games, Sam Milner stepped up to the A string in the discus and finished in a
very good third place with a distance of 44.64. She was also 5th in the shot
and 8th in the Hammer with a seasons best of 35.22.
Other third places came in the relays. The 4x100 metre
team of Montell, Serita, Anike Shand Whittingham and Grace Sheppard timed
47.07and were just six hundredths off second place. Anike had earlier scored
good B string points in both the 100 and 200.
It was third also in the 4x400 metres courtesy of
Krystal Galley, Megan Southwart, Amara Lalemi Jacobs and Yimika Adewakun.
They timed 3.54.27. Megan came up against a high class field in the 400
hurdles and despite timing 60.80 she had to be content with 5th place. She
was also runner up in the B 100 Hurdles.
Rachel Arnheim also achieved a B string second place
in the pole vault with a clearance of 3.50, a height that would have gained
her second in the A string but for Mariette clearing 3.80.
Christine Lyston equalled her best of 1.60 in the high
jump and Frances Read matched her seasons best of 1.55 in the B string.
Lauren Blackie and Emily Martin scored important points in the horizontal
jumps as did Ellie Duffy Penny and Elli Dumper in the throws.
Elaine Murty doubled up in the 800 and 1500 despite a
heavy cold and more valuable points came from Carolyn Plateau (1500), Amber
Reed and Mel Kane (3000) and Michelle Fewster (2000 steeplechase). Michelle
also set a seasons best in the 400 hurdles.
Team manager Brendan McShane was very proud of the
team and the squad who have competed over the three matches this season. The
Club will be looking to build on this platform in 2013.
What they would also like is a home fixture as they
have been in the League since 2005 and not been awarded one, despite having,
in Norman Park track, one of the best venues for a match.
Club members and the public will have the opportunity
to see the Senior men compete at their Bromley home base on the Saturday the
18th of August. They were also in action last Saturday finishing in 5th
place in their British Athletics League Division Two match at Derby. This
means they are 6th in the table, 6 league points ahead of 7th placed
Kingston & Polytechnic and just two behind 4th placed Notts AC.
There were a number of pleasing performances with
Michael Skinner returning to the team to win the 3000 metres after finishing
third in the 1500. Andy Rayner made it maximum points in the B 3000.
It was a double victory again in the 100 metres with
first year senior Kieran Daly winning the A string and Oweka Wanogho the B.
Dan Putnam set a new best of 47.17 in finishing in
second place in the 400 metres and there were runners up spots also for
Lewis Ely, who equalled his best of 2 metres in the high jump, Jermaine
Olasan who leapt 6.95 in the long jump; and the 4x100 metre team of Kieran,
Oweka, Dan and Duayne Bovell.
As ever, Alex Pope was a stalwart for the team
competing in 6 events before a knee injury reduced him to a standing throw
in the javelin.
In fact four athletes picked up injuries on the day
but the real damage to the teams chances of getting back in the promotion
race had really occurred in the days leading up to the competition with the
withdrawal of some important points scorers.
The final match will give the squad the chance to show
what they are really capable of as they regroup for a promotion push next
season.
Shaunagh Brown was pleased with her performance at the
Highland Games finishing third overall over the 8 events that took place
over two days. “I did really well considering it was more a strong woman
competition”. She was only beaten by the worlds strongest woman in 2011 and
the third placer from that championship.
The Club’s youngsters have qualified for the McCain UK
Young Athletes League National Final after finishing in third place in the
Southern Area Final at Copthall Stadium. The Final takes place in Manchester
on the 2nd September with the top teams from England, Wales and Scotland
competing for the right to be acclaimed National Champions.
The start of the school holidays made it difficult to
field full strength teams at Copthall but there were, nevertheless, many
fine performances and great individual efforts as all the youngsters strove
to score important points for the team.
The Hylton twins Cheriece and Shannon were to the fore
in the under 17 womens age group. Shannon won both the 100 and 200 metre
races and her times of 12.16 and 24.70 were both National Grade One
performances. Cheriece stormed to victory in the 300 metres in 40.41 and
they joined Vivien Olatunji, who had earlier won both B string 100 and 200
metres races, and Aine Hurlock to secure victory in the 4x100 metres.
Gemma Brown and Yemisi Sofolarin scored maximum points
in the discus and both produced Grade One performances. Gemma won the A
string with a throw of 38.28 while Yemisi won the B string with 33.63.
Helena Coleman not only won the pole vault contest but, in doing so, she set
a new personal best of 3.10.
In the mens’ event Stefan Amokwandoh was an impressive
winner of the triple jump with a leap of 13.47. Louis Hopgood won the 400
hurdles in 60.44.
Replicating Shannon Hylton’s achievement Maya Bruney
won both the 100 and 200 metre races in the under 15 girls age group in
grade one performances. She timed 12.44 and 25.14. Brooke Hollett made a
massive breakthrough in the shot adding over a metre to her previous best
with a throw of 9.99, a grade one performance. Such was the quality of the
opposition this only got her second place.
Likewise Jed Botham’s 5.73 leap in the boys long jump
saw him take the runner up spot despite a grade one. Gabriel Ibitoye set a
new best of 11.52 to win the 100 metres and was a winner again as part of
the 4x100 quartet along with William Adams, Joshua Dalson and Dotun Ayodele.
Another huge personal best came in the under 13 boys
high jump where Asa Andrew won with a mighty leap of 1.49, 14 centimetres
higher than he had jumped before. Despite running into a -1.8 headwind
Daniel Ndukwe still ran a grade one of 26.59 for the 200 metres.
In the girls sprints Nicole Farmer was just four
hundredths of a second off winning the 75 metres but her 10.31 was only good
enough for third place despite being a Grade One performance. Naomi Kingston
won the 1200 metres by over seven seconds in 3.57.24.
No doubt with some dedicated training over the next
month many of these youngsters will be able to set personal bests in the
National Final.
Youngster Niamh Bridson Hubbard was the first woman to
finish in the latest Greenwich 5km park run. She was 9th overall in a time
of 20.11. Rob Brown was 11th. Neil Ayrton finished in third place in the
event at Bexley, timing 19.02. Dan Marks was the first Club member to finish
in the race at Norman Park. He was 6th in 18.15 with Andy Tucker 7th and
Steve Pairman 11th.
Ramon Saiz was second over 75 in the Les Golding
Memorial 10km at Herne Bay in a time of 60.53.
Of course all Club members are looking forward to
seeing Adam Gemili and Scott Overall competing in the London Olympics. Adam
competes in the heats of the 100 metres this Saturday morning at 10am. Scott
races the marathon on Sunday the 12th at 11am. They and the Club are
featured in the current edition of the Bromley Times with Adam gracing the
front cover. Visit
www.bromleytimes.co.uk for more details.
25/07/12
Scott Overall put the finishing touches to his
preparations for the Olympic Marathon with a comfortable win in the BUPA
Great North Run at Gateshead. He came home in a time of 29.34, twenty five
seconds clear of Ethiopian Yared Hagos.
From Newcastle he travels to Loughborough to collect
his Great Britain kit and from there heads to the holding camp in Portugal.
There he will train and watch the majority of the Games on television before
flying in a few days before the marathon.
Still on the London Games, Club Past President Mike
Peel was one of the torchbearers as the Olympic flame passed through the
Borough of Bromley. Mike’s leg was in Crystal Palace park. It was a special
day. Full details and pictures are on the Club website.
Shaunagh Brown broke her own Senior Club record in the
Hammer at the Roche sur Yon meeting in France. She produced a throw of 61.13
which added 14 centimetres to her previous best. While pleased to set a new
best she does have her eyes on throwing over 65 metres.
Twins Cheriece and Shannon Hylton represented England
in the SIAB Schools Home Countries International at Ashford and both came
away with individual victories. Cheriece set a new best of 38.59 to win the
300 metres by over a second. This is makes her the second quickest in the UK
this year.
Shannon also enjoyed a convincing victory in the 200
metres winning by three tenths of a second in 24.48.
In the field Robyn Pettit was third in the high jump
with a leap of 1.70.
Steve Timmins enjoyed a remarkable day at the British
Masters Athletic Federation Championships at Derby. He came away with five
medals, two of them gold. Victories came in the over 35s age group in the
shot with a throw of 13.67 and the discus with 38.03. He also won three
bronze medals in the javelin in 42.00; hammer 47.08 and Heavy Weight 13.04.
In the womens age group Liz Hughes marked her debut at
these championships with victory in the pole vault with a clearance of 3.20.
More throws success came in the M40s age group as Mike
Van Den Dobbelsteen struck gold in the javelin with a distance of 50.40.
Like Steve and Mike, Richard Holt showed the benefits
of competing in the Club’s British League team this season as he broke the
Club over 40s 400 hurdles record when he came second in 56.86, having just
been pipped on the line. He was delighted with the time which meant finally
after 27 years of trying he at last holds an individual Club Record, the
others he has held have been as part of relay teams. He also grabbed bronze
in the 400 metres in 55.23.
The javelin success continued in the over 50s age
group where Steve Langdon won silver with a throw of 47.82.
Tom Phillips was 4th in the over 55s 100 and 3rd in
the B 200 while Peter Hamilton finished 8th in the over 60s 5000 metres.
Peter Hannell won the silver medal in the over 65s 3km
walk in 17.54.12.
Last, but not least, Colin Brand replicated Steve
Timmins double gold success at the upper end of the age groups as he won the
discus with a throw of 30.27 and the javelin with 29.32.
Colin was back in action the following day, not on the
infield, but serving the barbecue as the Club hosted the lastest Southern
Premier Division match of the National Junior Athletics League at Norman
Park. This was a keenly contested affair with only two Clubs guaranteed
places in the National Final in September.
Pippa Woolven had her first races after competing for
Great Britain in the steeplechase at the World Junior Championships last
week in Barcelona. After a third place in the 800 metres she won the 1500
metres in 4.40.52.
Dina Asher Smith ran in the 200 final in Barcelona but
moved down to the 100 metres to take on her 4x100 team mate and individual
100 metre representative from Spain Sophie Papps of Windsor. It proved one
of the races of the day with Dina having the advantage for the majority of
the distance before Sophie came through to win in 11.78 to Dina‘s 11.85. It
earned Sophie the female Athlete Of The Match Award.
A host of other quick sprint times added to the Norman
Park track’s growing reputation as one of the best athlete friendly venues
in the South . These included from the Club a win for Samantha Brown in the
400 hurdles in 63.31; second places for Jonathan Osbourne and Rachel Dickens
in the A string 400s and a win for Yimika Adewakun in the womens B string;
2nd and 3rd places for Tadgh Healey in the long and short hurdles; personal
bests for Vivien Olaunji in both the 100 and 200; and victories for the
womens 4x100 metre team of Georgina Middleton, Amara Lalemi Jacobs and
Vivien Olatunji and Dina Asher Smith plus the 4x400 quartet of Krystal
Galley, Samantha Brown, Rachel Dickens and Yimika Adewakun.
Middle distance runner Georges Vacharopoulos enjoyed
the afternoon with personal bests and A string 3rd places in both the 1500
metres and 2000 metres steeplechase. Michelle Fewster also set a new best in
the womens 1500 steeplechase as she came 2nd.
In the field, despite competing at Ashford the
previous day, Robyn Pettit was victorious in the high jump with a clearance
of 1.73.
Oliver Newport jumped 7.10 in the long jump but had to
settle for second place and it was a runner up spot also for first year
under 17 Stefan Amokwandoh in the triple jump with a leap of 14.02.
Under 17 Helena Coleman gained a good third place in
the womens pole vault with a clearance of 3.05. Frances Read was third in
both the womens long and triple jump contests.
Despite these fine performances the Club finished in
third place on the day and it looks, with one match to go, that the Club
will have to rely on the result of a paper match with the third and fourth
teams from the other Area Leagues to determine if they will make the
National Final.
Some of the Club’s top middle distance runners were in
action at the British Milers Club Grand Prix Meeting at Solihull. Michael
Skinner finished in 5th place in the 5000 metres in 14.02.67 with Andy
Rayner 17th in the B race. Elaine Murty was delighted to set a new best of
4.23.54 in the 1500 metres. James Poole ran his best time for five years
when he timed 3.51.59 in the mens race and Alex Bruce Littlewood clocked a
useful 3.53.10.
More middle distance success came on the roads as
Peter Tucker finished in second place in the Dartford Half Marathon in a
time of 72.35.
The Club’s mens team have qualified for the Southern
Masters Area Final by becoming Kent Masters League champions. They secured
their title last week at Erith Stadium winning the match on the night and
winning the League by an impressive 8 points.
As with the previous fixtures it was a close match
with the team only winning by two points, so every individual contributed to
the victory. At the sharp end Steve Timmins won the over 35s discus with a
throw of 39.80.
In the over 50s captain Tom Phillips took the 100
metres in 13.2 while in the over 60s Graham Coates won the 800 by nearly 10
seconds in 2.34.4.
The Southern Final will take place at Ashford on the
2nd of September, but sadly they will not be joined there by the womens team
as they finished third on the night and third in the League for the season.
Best performance on the night came from Helen Godsell
who won both the 100 metre and the 800 in the over 50s age group. She was
also third in the long jump. In the Division Two match Annie McDonough won
all three of these events.
A number of the Club’s athletes competed in the
Southern Inter Counties Under 13 match at Kingsmeadow with many of them
achieving personal bests.
Highest placed were Naomi Kingston who was 2nd in the
1500 metres in 5.01.44 and Daniel Ndukwe who was runner up in the long jump
with a leap of 4.88. Daniel also timed 13.17 in the 100 metres where there
was a personal best for Harry Taylor of 13.00 and Nicole Farmer timed 13.58.
Both Olivia Richer (28.17) and Emily Sheppard (29.26)
set new bests in the 200 metres as did Femi Sofolarin with a throw of 28.52
in the javelin.
Race Walking. In the 1km walk at the British Milers
Club track meeting at Sutcliffe Park, Shaun Lightman, who competed for
Britain at the 1968 Olympics, finished in 5th place in 5.31.1, hotly pursued
by Peter Hannell in 5.35.0. A number of other Club members competed here and
among them were Megan Southwart who timed a new best of 57.4 in the 400;
Leah Everson a pb of 2.21.0 in the 800; Luke Russell 400 (56.4); and Alex
Pillow 1500 (4.20.8).
Jessica Keene won the womens race at the latest
Bromley 5km Parkrun at Norman Park. She actually finished in 18th place
overall in 19.50. First male home from the Club was Dan Marks in 4th place
in 18.25 with Andy Tucker 7th, Steve Pairman 12th and Adrian Stocks 13th.
Brendan McShane was 3rd in the event at Lloyd Park in
20.14; Fintan Parkinson 4th at Crystal Palace in 19.52; Chris Pike 11th at
Greenwich 21.46; and John E Turner 27th at Dulwich.
17/07/12
Adam Gemili is the World Junior 100 metre Champion.
The Blackheath & Bromley athlete won his title in style in Barcelona
crossing the line in 10.05, a new Championship record beating the previous
best of 10.09 set by Trinidad‘s Darrel Brown in 2002. It is the 6th fastest
ever by a Junior, the quickest ever official time is 10.01 set by Brown in
2003.
He finished over a tenth of a second clear of
America’s Aaron Ernest (10.17) with Jamaica’s Odeon Skeen third in 10.28.
It is also a new British Junior Record beating Dwain Chambers previous best
by a hundredth of a second and makes him the 4th fastest on the Senior all
time list.
Not only this, it is also the second fastest time by a
European athlete this year and is a new Club Junior and Senior record.
At this rate it seems only a matter of time before he breaks the 10 second
barrier for the event. He was not the fastest out the blocks in the final
and the following wind was only 0.1 metre per second. The 18 year old
certainly believes he can go quicker, but is sensibly keeping his feet on
the ground.
Some more impressive sprinting came from Dina Asher
Smith in the womens 200 metres. Still only an under 17, the John Blackie
coached athlete was competing against athletes up to three years older than
her. It didn’t matter though. She passed through her heat (23.71) and semi
final (23.57) in style before finishing in 7th place in the final in 23.50.
This is a Club under 17, under 20 and Senior record, breaking her previous
record by three hundredths of a second.
Being so young, the Newstead Woods schoolgirl will
still be eligible to compete in these Championships in two years time.
The third Club member in the Great Britain squad Pippa Woolven made the
final of the 3000 metres steeplechase by finishing in 5th place in her heat
in 10.19.28. She qualified as a fastest loser and finished in 9th place in
the final in 10.27.95, a fine effort in the hot conditions.
The only disappointment of the weekend was the relays
as both the mens and womens teams were disqualified in the final. Adam was
part of the GB mens team that won their heat in 39.09 but in the final they
were disqualified for an infringement on the first changeover.
Dina did not run in the quartet in the heats as it was close to her 200
metres, but joined the team for the final. They did not get the baton round
after failing with the third changeover.
It was, however, an unforgettable Championship for the
trio.
The Club has a long record of having athletes selected
in these Championships and gold medal success. For example, Julian Golding
was part of the GB 4x100 metre team who won gold in 1994; and Dwayne Grant
did likewise in 2000.
Adam now prepares for the 100 metres and relay at the
Olympics while there are other big competitions for Dina and Pippa. One of
these is the European Champion Clubs Cup for Juniors which takes place in
Ljubljana in Slovenia in September. This will be the 7th year in a row that
the Club’s Junior Womens team has represented the United Kingdom in this
event, a remarkable achievement.
In fact, emphasising the conveyor belt of talent that has emerged from it’s
Norman Park base, the Club has already represented the UK 15 times in either
the mens or womens competition since 1990.
To gain this honour they have to be either the best
mens or womens team in the National Junior League final. Their campaign to
qualify for this years Final at Derby continues on home ground this Sunday
the 22nd of July at Norman Park, Bromley.
This is the 3rd Southern Premier Division fixture of
the season with only the top two teams guaranteed a place in the Final.
Currently the Club are in third place in the division, one point behind
Shaftesbury Barnet and two behind leaders Windsor.
With other World Junior Championship athletes from
Barcelona likely to be competing for their Clubs, a barbecue and beer tent,
it promises to be an exciting days competition. The first field events start
at 11.00 while the track begins at 1pm.
While Adam is competing in the shortest running event
at the Olympics, Scott Overall is competing in the longest, the marathon.
Adam’s win in Spain took place on the same evening that Scott was at the
Clubhouse to give question and answer sessions for the Club’s youngsters and
seniors.
There could not have been a better start to his talk
with the Senior membership than to hear the audience raise the roof as the
sprint prodigy crossed the line first in Barcelona. It was a memorable
evening and it was particularly pleasing to hear so many articulate
questions from the younger members.
Still on the Olympics, Past President Mike Peel will
be taking part in the torch relay as it passes through Bromley this coming
Monday the 23rd. Details of the route can be viewed on the Club website.
Still on the International scene, Montell Douglas was
just outside her seasons best of 11.49 for the 100 metres at the Samsung
Diamond League meeting at Crystal Palace.
Louis Mascerenhas set a new best of 49.93 in winning
silver in the Under 17 mens discus at the South Of England Championships at
Watford. Gemma Brown just missed out in the womens event as she was 4th with
a throw of 36.87.
A number of athletes set new bests and these included
Jessica Keene and Niamh Bridson Hubbard in the Under 15 girls 1500 with
times of 4.45.79 and 5.01.31 respectively. Jessica qualified for the final
where she finished 8th. Bailey Stickings ran 2.08.96 in his heat of the 800
and then improved again in the final to 2.07.67. Shannon Riskey ran a new
best of 2.20.2 in the semi final of the 800 metres and finished 6th in the
final despite being the youngest in the field. Leah Louise Everson made the
semi final after running 2.24.64 in her heat and finished 6th.
The Club continued its unbeaten run in the Southern
Athletics League with victory in the fourth fixture of the season at
Sutcliffe Park. It was an important win because the match featured the top
four teams in the Division with only the Champions guaranteed promotion.
Fortunately B&B won with 207.5 points to Brighton’s 173, Cambridge Harriers
170 and Tonbridge 168.5.
It was a fine team effort with each member of the
squad contributing to the success. Shaunagh Brown enjoyed the competition at
her normal training venue and celebrated with wins in the A string shot,
discus and Hammer events. Training partner Steve Timmins weighed in with
victories in the mens Shot and hammer contests and Mike Van Den Dobbelsteen
took the A string javelin.
The women actually won 7 out of 8 A string field
events as Lauren Blackie was first in the long and triple jumps; Sonia
Woolhouse won the pole vault and Alex Wheelwright took the high jump. Not to
be outdone Lewis Ely claimed victory in the mens high jump while Mark
Longhurst soared over 4.40 in the pole vault.
On the track Luke Smallwood made a rare Summer
appearance, his electronic timing business ( www.justiming.co.uk ) severely
limiting his racing at present. He won the 400 hurdles in 55.73 and then the
A string 400 in 49.21. Katrina Cosby won the womens 400 hurdles and then
sportingly ran the 3000 metres to score important points for the team. Grace
Sheppard was just outside her best in winning the 200 metres and Peter
Tucker impressed with victory in the 3000 metres.
Alex Pope did not win an A string event but, as
always, was here, there, and everywhere winning the pole vault, shot, discus
and hammer B strings.
Michael Skinner won the Bushy Park 5km Parkrun in a
time of 14.49. Closer to home at Norman Park, Andy Tucker was the Club’s
first finisher in 18.55 with William Pope 7th and Jamie Gosnell 11th.
Charlotte Stickings won the womens event at Bexley
while Neil Ayrton was 3rd overall and Nigel Stickings 10th .
Those in action elsewhere included Peter Hamilton who
was 10th at Dulwich; Stephen Haley 29th at Banstead Woods; Adrian Haley 26th
at Eastleigh with Carolyna Jones Baldock 34th; Sam Adams 16th at Lloyd Park;
and Colin Rowe 73rd at Crystal Palace.
Peter Hannell finished in 4th place at the Veterans AC
Track meeting 3km walk at Willesden. He timed 17.40.87 with Dave Hoben 6th
in 20.36.35.
10/07/12
There has been a good start for two Blackheath &
Bromley members at the World Junior Championships in Barcelona. In humid
conditions Adam Gemili was a comfortable winner of his heat in the 100metres
finishing in 10.37. Pippa Woolven was 5th in her heat of the 3000 metres
steeplechase in 10.19.28 and qualified for the final as a fastest loser. Her
time was quicker than some of the automatic qualifiers. Dina Asher Smith
will be in action later in the week in the 200 metres.
It was a double celebration in the Hylton household
this weekend as twin sisters Cheriece and Shannon won gold medals at the
Aviva English Schools Championships in Gateshead.
The Blackheath & Bromley athletes were competing in
the Intermediate Girls age group where Shannon won the 200 metres in a new
best of 23.95. Cheriece also set a new best in winning the 300 metres
clocking 39.02. Their victories mean they will be selected to represent
England at the Home Countries International at Ashford on the 21st of July.
Joining them there will be Robyn Pettit who won the
high jump with a leap of 1.71.
The Club’s other winner was Maya Bruney. She took the
Junior Girls 100 metre title in 12.10, after winning her heats and semi
final in 12.13 and 12.21, all three times being quicker than she had ever
run before this weekend.
Rachel Dickens won silver in the Senior Girls 400
metres in 55.38. Also in this age group Samantha Brown was 7th in the 400
hurdles in 64.55 while Rhiannon Jones was 7th in her heat of the 100
hurdles.
Oliver Newport was 4th in the Senior Boys long jump in
7.02 while Craig Morten and Jonathan Osbourne were in action in the heats of
the 400 hurdles and 400 metres.
Back in the Intermediate Girls contest Yemisi
Sofolarin won bronze medal in the discus with a throw of 38.94 while Gemma
Brown was 6th with 37.08. Evie Syron Russell was 6th in the triple jump with
a leap of 11.02 and Helena Coleman was 11th in the pole vault with a
clearance of 3 metres.
For the boys Stefan Amokwandoh was 5th in the triple
jump with 13.65 and Louis Mascerenhas 6th in the discus with 44.48.
Isabella Hilditch was a fine 5th in Junior Girls long
jump with a leap of 5.25 while Jamilya Robinson-Pascal was 16th. Jed Botham
was 22nd in the boys event.
The clash with the English Schools and UK Athletics
extraordinary decision not to allow a Permit for a Senior Open Meeting to
run alongside the South Of England Under 20 Championships at Crystal Palace
meant the atmosphere at the stadium was somewhat muted.
Not for Frances Read, however, as she won two titles.
On the Saturday she took the long jump with a leap of 5.16. She returned on
Sunday to win the triple jump as well with a distance of 10.63.
Although Javari Cameron did not win a medal, he did
set a personal best of 6.34 to finish 6th in the long jump.
At the London Inter Club Challenge at Woodford,
Shaunagh Brown comfortably won the shot with a throw of 14.99. On the track,
over 40 Richard Holt continued his fine season with 58.54 in the 400
hurdles.
In the Veterans AC 5 Mile Race Walk at Battersea,
Peter Hannell finished in 6th place in 50.56 with David Hoben 9th in 58.44.
More of the Clubs youngsters were in action in the
latest Kent Young Athletes League match Erith Stadium.
Reece McCarthy enjoyed his afternoon with wins in the
80 metre hurdles and shot and a second place in the long jump.
Likewise Harry Taylor in the under 13s age group. His
times of 13.4 and 27.6 gave him emphatic victories in both the 100 and 200
metre races. He was also part of the 4x100quartet along with James Low,
George Ward, and Edward Adams who won by nearly 2 and a half seconds.
Best performance of the day came in the under 13 girls
age group where Nicole Farmer won the 75 metres in a grade one performance
of 10.2.
Magda Ciencelia won the 150 metres in a very useful
20.8 and with Andi Desborough and Olivia Richer winning the B races, the
Club achieved maximum points in the sprints. Emily Sheppard joined Olivia,
Nicole and Andi for victory in the 4x100.
Steve Timmins is the British Masters Throws Pentathlon
champion for the over 35 age group. He won his title at Copthall, the day
after competing for the Club in the British League at Grangemouth. His total
points score of 3166 saw him win by 68 points. In the shot he threw 12.90
and then 13.84 in the Heavy weight. A 39.53 discus was followed by 42.76 in
the javelin and he finished with a 46.13 in the hammer.
He was one of four athletes who competed in the
various age groups and all came away with medals. Colin Brand and Gordon
Hickey were second and third in the over 75s age group with 3162 and 2575
respectively. Barbara Terry was second in womens over 65 age group with
2268.
Timmins was in action for the third day in a row at
the Kent Masters League at Ashford where the men tightened their grip on the
League title . Despite being second equal on the day, they head the table by
7 points.
Wins on the night came in the 3000 metres where Alex
Gibbins won the over 35s race in 9.23.6 and Paul Ross Davies the over 60s
race in 11.29.0.
The women finished in second place on the night but
remain in third place overall. Jackie Montgomery claimed victory in the over
35s pole vault with a clearance of 2 metres. Helen Godsell won the 40 in the
over 50s age group and Barbara Terry the hammer in the over 60s.
3/07/12
There was bad news for Blackheath & Bromley’s Montell
Douglas at the European Championships in Helsinki. The Great Britain 4x100
metres team were disqualified for a lane infringement. This was bad enough,
but worse is that this means Britain will not be fielding a 4x100 team at
the Olympics because they are not one of the 16 fastest teams in the world
over the last two years.
Meanwhile Mensah Elliott set a new Gambian National
Record for the 110 hurdles at the African Championships in Benin. He timed
14.70 but in achieving this he injured his hamstring.
Three members of Blackheath & Bromley have been
selected to represent Great Britain at the World Junior Championships in
Barcelona from the 10th of July. Adam Gemili is selected for the 100 metres
and the 4x100 squad. He is currently the fastest Junior in the World over
the 100, nine hundredths quicker than the next fastest athlete.
Dina Asher Smith is still an under 17 yet she has been
picked for the 200 metres. The John Blackie coached athlete recently broke
the Club Senior, Junior and Under 17 record at the distance with 23.57.
Second claimer Pippa Woolven goes in the 3000
steeplechase. She is the fastest in the country this year with 10.11.86
nearly 14 seconds quicker than the next best.
Still on International selections, Colin Norris has
been chosen to represent Great Britain in the World Duathlon Championships
which take place at Nancy in France at the end of September. Not only this,
he has also qualified for the World Triathlon Championships which take place
at Auckland, New Zealand in the third week of October. His participation in
this will be dependent upon him obtaining some sponsorship.
Blackheath & Bromley consolidated their position in
the UK Womens League Premier Division when they finished in third place in
the second match of the season at Eton. This was their best ever position in
the League and leaves them third overall in the table on 10 points with one
match to go. Significantly they are three points clear of the 4th and 5th
placed Clubs with the teams in 6th to 8th place all on 6 points.
Highlight of the day came in the javelin where Izzy
Jeffs threw a new Divisional record of 55.79 to win the competition by over
a eight metres. This is the second furthest in the country this year.
More throws success came as Shaunagh Brown was third
in the shot and discus and 4th in the hammer while Samantha Milner set a new
best of 46.16 to win the B discus.
Mariette Terrisse-Hilborne made a big impression on
her debut for the team. She finished second in the pole vault with a
clearance of 3.90 while Rachel Arnheim won the B string with a leap of 3.50.
More impressive performances came in the hurdles
events. In the 400 hurdles Megan Southwart and Katrina Cosby came second in
the A and B strings in times of 61.24 and 61.83. Serita Solomon was runner
up in the 100 hurdles in 13.52 while Megan returned to record a new wind
assisted best of 13.91 to win the B string.
Grace Sheppard also ran quicker than ever before in
the 200 with 24.73 and she linked up with Anike Shand Whittingham , Katrina
Cosby and Rachel Dickens to secure third place in the 4x100 metres. The
other personal best came from Elaine Murty who timed 10.23.95 in the 3000
metres, just 50 minutes after running 2.13.14 for the 800.
The men did not fare so well in their latest British
Athletics League Division Two match of the season at Grangemouth in
Scotland. In another close match, they finished in 6th place and are now 5th
overall with two fixtures to go. They will need to be at their best for the
last two matches and hope the other team positions shift around if they are
to lay claim to one of the two promotion places.
Ed Harrison was the only individual winner, taking the
400 hurdles in 52.76 in challenging conditions. Debutant Kieran Daly and
Oweka Wanogho scored a lot of good points in the sprints. While Kieran was
4th in the A 100, Oweka won the B string. They reversed strings for the 200
with Oweka second in the A and Kieran securing maximum points in the B. Then
together with Duayne Bovell and Javari Cameron they were second in the
4x100.
Alex Bruce Littlewood returned from University in
America to finish second in the 3000 metres steeplechase. He, Andy Rayner
and Peter Tucker all doubled up in the middle distance to score important
points for the team.
Best event in the field was the pole vault where Mark
Longhurst set a seasons best of 4.80 to finish in second place and Sam Brown
cleared 4.40 to win the B string. Steve Timmins was second on the shot with
13.18 and Mike Van Den Dobbelsteen was 3rd in the javelin with 50.79. As
ever Alex Pope made a massive contribution to the team, on this occasion he
competed in seven events.
Long standing Club member Lyn Atterbury has been
living in Poland for the last 14 years and last weekend he claimed a hat
trick of gold medals at the Polish Veterans Athletic Championships in
Bialystok. Competing in the over 65s age group, he won the 3000 walk, the
5000 walk and the 1500 metres. While he admits his times were nothing
special, these wins were achieved in hot and humid conditions of around 30
degrees.
With no Bromley 5km park run this week, runners from
The Club were scattered over a number of venues.
Charlotte Stickings was first in the womens race at
Bexley in 20th place overall. For the men Dan Marks was 3rd with Graham
Coates 10th.
Jessica Keene was 16th in the event at Crystal Palace
while Nigel Haffenden was 11th at Dulwich with Sally Haffenden first woman
from the Club in 55th. Adrian Haley was 49th at Eastleigh with Carolyna
Jones Baldock 75th. Steve Pairman and Rob Brown were 4th and 11th at
Greenwich.
