Press Releases for
July, August & September 2014
30/09/14
The Berlin Marathon took centre stage last weekend as
Dennis Kimetto broke the World best time, winning in 2.02.57, 26 seconds off
the previous record. Blackheath & Bromley were also celebrating as Scott
Overall finished in 14th place in 2.13.00.
This is the third fastest time by a Briton this year
with only Mo Farah and Chris Thompson having run quicker. It is his second
fastest marathon ever, his best of 2.10.55 having been set at Berlin in
2011.
He was not the only Club member in Marathon action as
Ritchie Leccia finished in 23rd place in the Robin Hood Marathon in
Nottingham. He timed 2.56.52 which is a new personal best. In Scotland Max
Buttinger ran at a more sedate pace and was 538th in the Baxters Lochness
Marathon in a time of 3.47.22.
Closer to home, and running half the distance, Sam
Barnes was 33rd in the Ealing Half Marathon in a time of 79.13. Jamie
Darling was 12th in the Windsor Half Marathon clocking 85.15 while Alexis
Tobin was 144th in 97.02. A number of the Club’s runners took part in the
Tonbridge Half Marathon. First home in 30th was Paul Sharpe in 1.24.15
followed by Andy Tucker in 44th (1.25.53) and Steve Pairman 76th (1.30.59).
Peter Tucker will be running the Jersey Marathon soon
and he continued his preparations by winning the Dartford Bridge 10km in a
time of 33.29.
The track season is nearly over but Yasmin Austridge
is still setting personal bests. In the Watford Open Meeting she timed
10.32.82. There was a best too for Jessica Keene in the 1500 metres as she
timed 4.29.69.
On the country Richard Holt got in some endurance work
by running in the Kingston and Polytechnic Harriers 5 mile race in Richmond
Park. Better known as a 400 hurdler, he finished in 8th in 39.32.
In the Enfield Race Walking League at Hemel Hempstead,
David Hoben managed 8,377 metres in the one hour race.
Full details of performances by Club members in the
latest Parkruns can be found at the following link
http://www.parkrun.com/results/consolidatedclub/?clubNum=181&eventdate=2014-09-27
23/09/14
It’s voting time and Blackheath & Bromley will be
following the fortunes of two of its members who are among nine Britons who
have been nominated for European Athlete of the Year awards. Both Adam
Gemili and Dina Asher Smith feature as nominees in the Rising Stars section
following their impressive performances this Summer.
Twenty year old Adam is the European 200 metre
champion as well as being Commonwealth Games 100 metre silver medallist.
Dina is the World Junior 100 metre champion and broke the British Junior
record for the 200 metres at the European Championships.
Voting is open to the public whose castings will make
up a quarter of the vote. The media, European Athletics Federations and a
European Athletics panel will each have a quarter as well. Club members have
until Friday the 3rd of October to register their preference and details can
be found at
http://www.european-athletics.org/ with voting through the
European Athletics Facebook page.
Many athletes have had little break between the end of
the track season and the start of the Winter programme but lots of those who
competed this Summer were in action at Aldershot for the South of England
Road Relays. There were some very respectable team results and some
outstanding individual performances.
Highlight was the run of Scott Overall in the Senior
Mens race. His time of 17.47 on stage three was the fastest time of the day.
His effort moved the Club up from 20th to 6th after Danny Brewer had closed
in 44th on the opening leg in 20.05 and Alex Bruce Littlewood had improved
24 places with 18.25.
Ben Cockburn clocked 20.17 on the 4th stage but
slipped to 15th a position maintained by Peter Tucker who timed 20.09
despite having run and won the Dartford 10 mile road race in the morning.
Sam Barnes anchored the sextet home in 14th with 19.36.
This performance means that they have qualified to
compete for the National Road Relays in Sutton Coldfield next month. It
remains a strange quirk that the men have to finish above a certain position
in the Area relays to run in the Nationals but no other age group has this
requirement.
The senior womens team was a mixture of youth and
experience with captain Jane Bradshaw running a solid opening leg of 15.14
which proved to be the fastest from the Club. Clare Robinson timed 17.43 to
close in 54th on leg two before the two younger members of the team Mel Kane
and Amber Reed timed 15.56 and 15.40 respectively to move up to 49th and
then 46th.
Best team result of the weekend came from the under 17
women who finished in 5th place. They had the best possible start as Jessica
Keene was first on the opening stage with a time of 10.22. This proved to be
the third fastest time of the day. Leah Everson slipped to 7th on the next
leg with 11.53 before Kelsey Fuss moved back up to 5th on the closing stage
with a time of 10.41. Kelsey’s time was the 11th fastest of the day.
The men placed 22nd thanks to the efforts of Niyi Akin
Agunbiade (13.41), Marco Arcuri (13.02), Charlie Davis (13.50) and Alex
Leggett (14.36).
The under 15 girls nearly emulated the under 17s but
had to settle for 6th place. Yasmin Austridge was 8th on the opening leg in
11.05. Kelsi Cornish ran well but slipped to 14th with 11.44 before Naomi
Kingston brought the team up to 6th with 10.48, the 11th quickest time of
the day.
A very useful display from the boys saw them finish in
19th place. Callum Myatt brought them in 43rd with 10.57 and from there they
kept moving through the field. George Pope timed 10.59 to take 35th. Angus
Harrington 10.39 (25th) and Michael Eagling 10.15 for 19th.
Likewise the under 13 girls who came in 18th on stage
one through Emilie Penlington with a time of 9.01. Lily Tappenden moved to
16th with 8.57 before Imogen Meers came in 11th with 8.55.
The boys also did well closing in 14th place with
Peter Guy’s last leg of 10.40 being the 8th quickest of the day. Robert
Suckling (11.50), Joseph Georgiadis (11.01) and Cameron Swatton (12.24)
formed the rest of the successful quartet.
Some of them were back in action on Sunday as the Club
enjoyed plenty of success at the Kent relays at Canterbury albeit all in the
under 15s and under 13s age groups.
All the gold medals came in 3x800 metre races. The
under 15s boys team of Frankie Scrivener, Coleman Corry and Michael Eagling
timed 6.56.1 for victory. The under 15 girls were in impressive form as they
finished over half a minute clear of the runners up. Naomi Kingston, Yasmin
Austridge and Roisin Atkins-Dykes recorded 7.31.7. One tenth of a second
quicker were the under 13s boys trio of Benjamin Gardiner, Cameron Swatton
and Rowan Fuss who won in 7.31.6.
The under 13 girls missed out on gold in the 3x800 but
did come away with silver medals. Alice Prentice, Lily Tappenden and Lauren
Goddard ran 8.07.1. Further sets of silver came from the under 15 girls
4x100 team of Olivia Richer, Nicole Farmer, Mhairi Brooks and Yasmin
Austridge in 50.9; the under 13 boys 4x100 metres quartet of Tareq Bannour,
Caelan Raju, Philip Tenyue and Myles Xavier (52.2); and the under 13 girls
4x300 team of Alice Prentice, Zoe Austridge, Lily Tappenden and Lauren
Goddard (3.17.4).
Frankie and Charlie Scrivener formed half of the under
15 boys team that won bronze in the 4x300 metres. Together with Lewis
Stickings and Matthew Knight, they timed 2.46.2. Charlie and Matthew picked
up another bronze each in the 4x100 with George Pope and Coleman Corry
completing the quartet. They ran 52.0.
The Club only had two athletes at the British Masters
throws pentathlon in Birmingham but both came away with gold medals. Steve
Timmins was just three points off his best, scoring 3163 to win the over 35s
in his last year in age group. His throw of 48.16 in the hammer was a
seasons best and he also threw the shot 13.07, the discus 37.68, the weight
14.46 and the javelin 39.55.
Barbara Terry took the over 65s title with a score of
2828. This included throws of 7.26 in the shot; 8.83 heavy weight, 19.41
discus, 20.01 hammer and 15.19 javelin.
Edward Adams finished in 10th place in the junior boys
age group at the English Schools Pentathlon Championships at Boston. He
scored 2597 points and this included a personal best of 2.25.89 in the 800
metres. He also ran 11.86 for the 80 metre hurdles, cleared 1.63 in the high
jump, leapt 5.61 in the long jump and threw 10.41 in the shot.
The Jim Day Memorial Pole Vault competition continues
to thrive and serve as a fitting tribute to the Club’s former President.
There were 107 competitors and of these 36 athletes produced 101 lifetime
bests, and 71% jumped higher than ever before this season. Allan Williams
and his helpers are to be congratulated on their organisation of this event.
Among the personal bests was one from Club member
Helen Coleman who leapt 3.22. Jackie Montgomery equalled her best with 2.62
and Murray Hilborne set a seasons best of 2.82. Murray’s wife Mariette
Terrisse returned to competition after the birth of their second child and
cleared 3.22. Mark Longhurst was second senior man with 4.22 and the
organiser himself Allan Williams went over 2.42.
16/09/14
It is hard to believe that it is now ten years since
the death of Will Bolton, the Blackheath & Bromley athlete who joined the
Club as an under 13, who progressed through the age groups to the Senior
ranks, and who at the time of his passing at the age of 21 was already
putting time back into the Sport by helping coach some of the Club’s
youngsters. All the age groups in which he competed were well represented at
the relays which are now named in his memory and which act as a curtain
raiser to the Winter season.
As ever the weather was good, ensuring a good turn out
with 59 teams starting in the main race. It was dominated by Tonbridge AC
who finished teams in 1st, 2nd, 4th and 6th. The B&B team closed in 5th with
first leg runner Will Fuller the fastest Club member of the day. The under
20 athlete ran 13.12 for the 4km course to finish in 4th place on the
opening stage. This time was the 7th quickest of the day. He passed to Peter
Tucker who ran 13.42 in the middle of an intense period of racing. He also
ran a leg for the B team. Tom Desborough and Fintan Parkinson completed the
scoring quartet with times of 15.57 and 14.06 respectively to make a final
time of 56.27.
The women proved more successful winning the team race
with a time of 64.05. All were actually youngsters with Jessica Keene the
quickest on leg two with a 14.59 clocking. Her time was the second fastest
by a female of the day and third quickest was Kelsey Fuss who ran 15.06 on
the anchor leg. Shannon Riskey (17.27) and Leah Everson (16.33) completed
the scoring team.
More success came in the accompanying under 15 and
under 13 relays where the under 15 boys team of Rowan Fuss, Angus Harrington
and Coleman Corry ran out victors. Rowan’s time of 11.35 over the 3km course
was the fastest of the day with Angus timing 12.11 and Coleman 12.31.
The under 15 girls team of Naomi Kingston (12.34),
Yasmin Austridge (12.48) and Millie Smith (13.29) finished in second place
as did the under 13 girls trio of Emilie Pennington (13.54), Jessica Neal
(14.21) and Lily Tappenden (14.10).
The main race incorporated the first round of the
Bennett Cup, a series of handicap races which take place over the Winter
months. Winner on this occasion was Carole Penlington with Dan Kennedy
second and Chris Pike third. However, with another eight races to go there
is everything still to play for.
While the cross country season was starting, one of
the last track and field meetings of the season was taking place at Norman
Park with the Kent under 13s, Masters and Multi events Championships.
Highlight in the under 13s was the performance of
Peter Guy in the 800 metres. He ran 2.13.22 in his heat which was a new
personal best, Club Record and Championship Best Performance. He won the
final in 2.20.21 with Robert Suckling picking up silver in 2.22.98.
It was gold too for Tom Mills in the javelin with a
throw of 39.43 and Pedro Gleadall third in 32.91. Pedro also won silver in
the high jump with a leap of 1.45 as did Imogen Meers in the 1200 metres in
3.59.11. Myles Xavier took bronze in the long jump with a leap of 4.78.
Edward Adams set a new best of 2640 points to win the
under 15 boys pentathlon championship. He ran 11.78 for the 80 metre
hurdles, threw the shot 11.03, leapt 5.78 in the long jump, cleared 1.64 in
the high jump, and finished the 800 in a time of 2.29.78. His hurdles and
long jump performances were personal bests.
Henry James Cowie also set a new best in finishing in
second place with 2577 points. His 12.90 for the 80 hurdles and 1.67 in the
high jump were both new bests and he won the 800 metres by over 12 seconds
in 2.10.65. He also put the shot 10.10 and leapt 4.90 in the long jump.
Steve Timmins finished the weekend with four gold
medals in the Kent Masters Championships setting two championship bests in
the shot and javelin in the process. His distance of 14.19 in the shot was a
seasons best and just five centimetres off his pb. His javelin distance was
41.08 and he also threw 37.12 in the discus and 47.28 in the hammer. Murray
Hilborne, competing as a guest, won the pole vault with 2.70.
More success came in the over 50s where Jackie
Montgomery claimed two gold medals in Championship Best Performances. She
won the 200 in 30.71 and cleared 2.60 in the pole vault. Not to be outdone
Paul Sutherland set a new Club Record of 17.81 to win the 100 metre hurdles.
Barbara Terry almost emulated Steve’s medal haul in
the over 60s age group where she won the shot (8.14) discus (20.03) and
hammer (24.26) but had to settle for silver in the javelin (16.38). The shot
hammer and javelin efforts were all seasons bests. On the track Rob Brown
won the 1500 metres by over 45 seconds a seasons best in 5.29.41.
As mention earlier Peter Tucker has had a busy few
days racing which began on Wednesday evening by running the furthest
distance in the Club One hour run. He managed 17,400 metres with Dave Beadle
second (15090) and Rob Brown third (13300). The next day he timed 15.49.1 in
the Ladywell 5000 metre races at Catford and after his efforts at the Will
Bolton relays on Saturday he finished in third place in the Old Deer Park
Richmond Half Marathon on Sunday with a time of 74.55. This is more races
than some athletes run in a whole Summer.
David Hoben has been similarly prolific in the walks
fitting in a couple of races in Guernsey. In the 3km race he finished in
10th place in 20.03 before coming 14th in the Church to Church 19.4 mile
race in a time of 4 hours 7 minutes and 17 seconds.
9/09/14
Following an outstanding weekend of competition,
Blackheath & Bromley can justifiably say they are the best Club in the
country at Under 20 level down to under 13s after finishing runners up in
both the Upper and Lower UK Development League Finals in Birmingham. They
can also be proud that their under 20 womens team will represent the UK in
the European Champions Club Cup for Juniors in 2015 and that their veteran
women are one of the strongest teams in the country after finishing third in
the Southern Area Final at Ashford.
Second place in the UKDL Upper age group final for
under 20 and under 17 men and women is an achievement in itself but they
weren’t actually beaten by another Club but by a composite Club, Team
Edinburgh, which is an umbrella for Edinburgh AC, Lasswade AC and
Corstorphine AC. There is no official recognition of the best individual
club if the competition is won by a composite team, but the League does
calculate the best mens and womens teams to award the honour of representing
the UK in Europe the following year. B&B women were convincing winners by 40
points which means they will be competing in the ECCC for an astonishing 9th
time in 10 years. Shaftesbury Barnet Harriers were the best mens team.
The celebrations didn’t end there, however, as Bailey
Stickings received the Athlete Of The Match award for his win in the under
17s 400 hurdles. Not only did he win, but his time of 54.05 was a new
personal best and League record. It capped a memorable day for him as he
also set personal bests in the 100 hurdles and pole vault and ran his
fastest ever relay split of 49.5 to anchor to victory the 4x400 quartet of
himself, Kimani Smart, Joshua Dalsan and William Pope.
Shannon Hylton put on a sparkling display in the under
20 sprints and was a class apart in the 100 and 200 metres races with times
of 11.59 and 23.41. She also picked up gold medals in the 4x100 with Toyin
Orelaja, Vivien Olatunji and Cheriece Hylton and the 4x400, again with
sister Cheriece, Natalie Jones and Janae Galley. Cheriece also won the 400
metres in 56.67.
Kerri Davidson celebrated her 18th birthday in style
by winning the long jump in a new personal best of 5.47. She also won her
main event the triple jump with a leap of 11.92 with Stefan Amokwandoh
taking the mens title with 14.34. More field success came courtesy of Louis
Mascarenhas who won both the shot and discus contests with distances of
13.78 and 50.26.
Back on the track Kelsey Fuss won the under 20s 1500
steeplechase despite still being an under 17. Training partner Jessica Keene
had a busy day which included a win in the under 17s 3000 metres in a time
of 10.06.21.
Molly Scott took the honours in the 80 metre hurdles
with a time of 11.61 and then joined Jamilya Robinson Pascal, Elizabeth
Ibidunni and Parris Johnson for victory in the 4x100 metres. Toyin Orelaja
had got her relay gold running in the higher age group but she also won the
under 17s triple jump with a leap of 10.89.
Winning an event in the National Final with a personal
best is the best way to finish your Summer and this is just what Dele
Aladese did in the under 17s discus with a throw of 45.71.
The previous day in the Lower Age Group Final an
exciting battle with Sale Harriers Manchester saw B&B miss out on the
National title by a mere 8 points after nearly six hours of competition.
Some impressive performances in the throws included
wins in both the mens and womens under 15 hammer contests courtesy of James
Lancaster and Victoria Wiltshire. Their distances of 49.34 and 50.50
respectively were just outside their personal bests. Carys Marsden’s
distance of 39.73 in the B string would have won the A string had Victoria
not competed. Eloise Locke picked up gold medals in both the shot and
javelin with distances of 11.11 and 33.80.
Katy McDonald was the class act in the 800 metres. The
new National record holder won comfortably in 2.15.82 and then joined Catrin
Murphy, Grace Scopes and Roisin Atkins Dykes for victory in the 4x300 metres
in a time of 2.54.26.
In the under 13s Myles Xavier finished the weekend
with three gold medals . He won the 100 and 200 in times of 13.13 and 26.76
and was in the winning sprint relay team with LJ Wright, Caelan Raju and
Nathan Urwin. Tom Mills moved up to 7th in the national javelin rankings as
he won in a new best of 39.49.
What was most impressive over the two days was how so
many of the Club‘s athletes rose to the occasion to set personal bests. On
the Saturday, Matthew Knight, Olivia Richer, Angus Harrington, Yasmin
Austridge, Emilie Penlington, Caelan Raju, Billy Keene, Antonia Alapafuja,
Alice Prentice, Isabelle Bridge, George Pope, Lewis Stickings, Kareena
Galley, Daisy Dowling and Zoe Austridge ran faster, jumped longer and higher
and threw further than ever before.
On the Sunday, aside from those already mentioned
there was Niyi Akin Agunbiade, Megan Beaman- Browne, Ibrahim Sankch, Helena
Coleman, Joe Freeman, Jon Pairman, Aleksander Wiltshire, Mary Guy, Max
Hodson, Pippa Croft, Yinka Sofidya, Sheyi Cole, Brooke Hollett, Korede
Osinibi and Akina Gondwe all setting new bests. It was a testimony to their
dedication and commitment over the weeks between the end of the Area League
matches and the Final.
The task now is to build on this success and with the
youngsters enthusiasm, the guidance of coaches and team managers and the
backing of family, supporters and Club there is every chance they will. So
many people contributed to the success this weekend including sponsors
London Biggin Hill Airport who have done so for a number of years.
That same commitment and enthusiasm was also evident
at the Southern Counties Veterans AC Area Final at Ashford where the Club’s
womens team finished in third place.
Fresh from winning four gold medals at the European
Masters Championships, Helen Godsell won four events and set two new Club
records. She moved down an age group to win the over 50s 100 metres in 14.7.
Back in the over 60s she won the 200 metres in 30.4, the high jump with a
clearance of 1.07 and the long jump with a leap of 3.57. The latter two were
both new Club records and amazingly she now holds ten of the records in this
age group, all set this year.
Jackie Montgomery also enjoyed victory outside her own
age group as she won the over 35s pole vault with a clearance of 2.60, just
two centimetres off her best. She also won the over 50s long jump with a
leap of 4.03. Anne Cilia was the Club’s other winner on the day taking the
2000 metres walk in a time of 13.53.0.
It was, of course, a team contest and many athletes
did more than their fair share of events to ensure the Club did as well as
possible in the match. Jenny Neale, Claire Robinson, Jane Bradshaw, Maureen
Miller, Claire Austridge, Barbara Terry, Tracey Ashenden, Rosie Ferguson,
Cathy Messent, Lisa May, Sue Dowse and captain Maz Turner are to be
congratulated on their efforts.
Away from the end of season team competitions, Scott
Overall set a personal best as he won the A race at the British Milers Club
10,000 metres track festival at Stretford. He timed 29.18.39 for the 25 laps
of the track.
Carole Penlington was the first woman to finish in the
Wolverhampton Marathon. She timed 3.15.12 and was 21st overall. Tony Crowder
was 7th in the Kent Coastal Marathon in 3.08.56.
Roger Michell was the second M65 in the Jim Sharlott
10km walk in Leicester. He timed 57.43. Shaun Lightman went one better in
the over 70s category winning in 63.52.
63 runners 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 of the series was won by Andrew Pino,
outwitting the handicapper by over a minute and a half. Fastest lady on the
night was Sarah Belaon in 21:02 and fastest man was Marco Arcuri in 17.10.
The contest for the overall Parris Memorial Shield was close throughout the
season and only 9 points separated the top three going into the final race.
But in the end the winner was Martyn Longstaff thanks to a great run in the
last race, with Mike Simms second and last years winner Clem Leon third.
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 11 runners who competed in all 6 summer races: Scott Bulmer,
Nigel Bulmer, Mike Simms, Martyn Longstaff, Clem Leon, Sarah Belaon, Tim
Ayres, Tim Ward, Chris Pike, Sally Haffenden and Neil Roberts.
This was the first season that Dick and Sheila Griffin
had organised the races and over £500 was raised for club funds.
2/09/14
It has been a busy weekend of Championship activity
for the athletes of Blackheath & Bromley with Helen Godsell winning her
second European title and the Club’s youngsters picking up three gold medals
at the England Athletics Under 17 and Under 15 Championships at Bedford.
As reported last week Helen had already won the over
60s 100 metre title at the European Veterans Championships at Izmir and
Turkey. She totally dominated the 200 metres finishing over a second and a
half of the field with a time of 29.55. Not only did this win her the
European title, but it is also a new Club Record.
Roger Michell ensured the Club had a full set of
medals as he was 2nd in the 20km walk in 2 hours 14 minutes and 2 seconds;
and 3rd in the 5000 walk in 28.13.87.
There were plenty more medals, Club Records and
personal bests at Bedford. In the under 17s Bailey Stickings dipped under 55
seconds in the 400 hurdles for the first time as he won in 54.94 to become
National Champion. It was gold too for Jessica Keene who won the 3000 metres
in 9.54.30.
Fresh from setting a National record for 800, Katy-Ann
McDonald won the Under 15s 1500 metres in 4.32.66.
Silver medals came courtesy of Kelsey Fuss in the
under 17s 1500 metres steeplechase in 5.05.76; and from second claim member
Molly Scott in the 80 metre hurdles in a wind assisted 11.16.
Eloise Locke had an exceptional weekend as she won a
bronze medal and broke four Club Records! Her medal came in the under 15s
javelin where she threw a personal best of 40.41. As well as exceeding the
Club under 15s record it is an under 17 record as well.
She had to settle for fourth in the shot but again her
distance of 12.28 is both an under 15 and under 17 record. Remarkably she is
only a first year in the under 15 age group.
More throws success came in the under 15 boys hammer
where James Lancaster improved by nearly three metres to finish in 5th place
with a distance of 49.41. Leah Everson was 8th in the under 17s 800 in
2.17.61.
Rounding up the under 17s results Parris Johnson was
5th in her heat of the 100 and 6th in her 200 race; Jamilya Robinson Pascal
took 11th place in the long jump with 4.93; and Dele Aladese was 11th in the
discus with 40.87.It was bad news, however, for Isabella Hilditch who was
injured in the 300 metre hurdles.
In the under 15s Carys Marsden was 9th in the discus;
Karina Harris leapt 4.74 in the long jump; Yasmin Austridge timed 4.52.36 in
her heat of the 1500 metres; and Kate Purser clocked 12.59 in the 75 metre
hurdles.
Still on the Championship front Tom Mills finished in
4th place at the Kent Pentathlon championships at Tonbridge. He scored 1594
points with Caelan Raju 12th (1268) and Myles Duffus 13th (1032). Tom
actually threw the furthest of all competitors in the shot with 10.08 and
his other performances in the 800, high jump, long jump and the 75 metre
hurdles were all personal bests. Caelan set a new best of 12.79 in the
hurdles; while Myles threw further than ever before in the shot and also set
a new bests in the long jump, hurdles and high jump.
These performances are all the more encouraging as
this weekend the Club’s youngsters travel to Birmingham where they contest
the National Finals of the Upper and Lower age groups of the UK Youth
Development League. The under 15s and under 13s compete on Saturday and the
under 17s and under 20s on Sunday. Blackheath & Bromley is the only Club who
will contest both finals. Meanwhile on Sunday at Ashford the Club’s womens
team will compete in the Area Final of the Southern Veterans Athletic League
with a double European champion in their team.
26/08/14
A week after Blackheath & Bromley celebrated a
European gold medal and a National age best courtesy of Adam Gemili and Dina
Asher Smith at the European Championships in Zurich, the Club were
congratulating another new European champion and age group record holder
thanks to the achievements of Katy Ann McDonald and Helen Godsell.
Katy is an under 15 and she improved the National 800
metres record to 2.06.47 in the British Milers Club womens A race which was
incorporated into the Cambridge Harriers Open Meeting at Sutcliffe Park. She
actually finished 4th in the race against Senior opposition. Her time
improved the under 15 record which has stood since 1982.
Helen is competing at the European Veterans Athletic
Championships at Izmir in Turkey which continue until the end of the month.
She got her Championships off to the best possible start by winning the over
60s 100 metres by over half a second in 14.24. Further news next week.
A number of the Club’s athletes were selected to
represent their Counties at CAU Inter Counties Championships at Bedford.
Most successful of these was under 20 Kerri Davidson who picked up a silver
medal in the triple jump with a leap of 12.16.
Femi Oowlade won bronze in the 200 metres in a time of
21.69 just one hundredth of a second clear of fourth placed Dan Putnam.
It was 4th also for Luke Smallwood in the 400 hurdles
in a time of 53.17; and for Stefan Amokwandoh in the mens triple jump with a
distance of 14.34. Luke’s time of 52.51 in his heat was a new personal best.
Montell Douglas won her heat of the 100 metres in
11.57 but did not contest the final.
Tom Desborough is to receive a special award from the
Virgin London Mini Marathon team as he is the most improved runner in the
events history. He ran 22.13 for the three mile course in 2008 but, after
running all the subsequent mini marathons, by 2014 he had reduced his time
down to 16.52. He receives a £250 prize for his achievement.
19/08/14
It has been a very special week for Great Britain at
the European Athletics Championships in Zurich with a record twelve gold
medals and it has also been a historic few days for Blackheath & Bromley
athletes Adam Gemili and Dina Asher Smith. Adam came away with two gold
medals in the 200 metres and the 4x100 metres while Dina broke the British
under 20 200 metre record which has stood since 1979.
Fresh from winning his first senior Championship medal
for England when he took silver in the 100 metres at the Commonwealth Games
in Glasgow, Adam turned his attention to the 200 in Switzerland. Still only
20, he has not ruled out doubling up at Championships, but, given his age
and the close proximity of the two meetings, he felt it prudent to just do
one event at each.
He quickly put himself among one of the favourites
when he won his heat in 20.39, the fastest of the first round qualifiers.
Yet he had not been running flat out. It was a similar story in the semi
finals where, after an excellent start and bend, he spent most of the home
straight looking from side to side checking that he was not under threat
from any of the other athletes. He needn’t have been concerned. He won
easily in 20.23 to book his place in the final.
His biggest challenge in the final was from France’s
Christophe Lemaitre who was still licking his wounds after having been
beaten by Adam’s training partner James Dasaolu in the 100 metres. In the
lane outside Adam was the reigning champion Churandy Martina from the
Netherlands but so good was Adam’s start that he was already past the
Dutchman after 50 metres.
Moving into the home straight he was already clear of
the field and he powered down to the line to win in 19.98, a time which
equalled his personal best. Remarkably this was achieved running into a
headwind of -1.6 metres per second and the temperature was only 13 degrees.
It is surely only matter of time before he breaks the British Record of John
Regis which is 19.87 at altitude and 19.94 at sea level, set in 1993 before
Adam was born. He is currently second on the all time list with Club member
Julian Golding 6th.
Adam was rested for the heats of the 4x100 metres but
the Great Britain quartet still qualified easily. He returned for the final
replacing last leg runner Danny Talbot. Good runs and changes from James
Ellington, Harry Aikines-Aryeetey and Richard Kilty saw him take the baton
in the lead and he was in no mood to relinquish this position. He crossed
the line in 37.93.
Dina also had an outstanding championships although it
did not quite finish as she had hoped. Like Adam, the World Junior 100 metre
champion won her heat of the 200 metres and her time of 22.75 was the second
fastest of the qualifiers for the semi finals.
She knew that she would probably need to go faster to
make the final and that the quicker she went the better her lane draw. What
happened next made a small piece of British Athletics History. Kathy Cook’s
national junior record of 22.70 had stood since September 1979. Nearly
thirty five years later Dina smashed it by almost a tenth of a second as she
finished in second place in a time of 22.61.
Not only is it an under 20 record it ranks her 6th on
the UK senior all time list and is, of course, a Club Senior and Junior
record. It completed a memorable day for the 18 year old who that morning
found that she had achieved the necessary grades to attend her first choice
University.
Her time was the third quickest of the qualifiers for
the final although fellow Briton Jodie Williams had looked impressive in
winning her semi, albeit in a slower time.
A medal or a new British record were not to be,
however, as Dina was forced to pull up after just 50 metres with a hamstring
injury. The problem had prevented her doing the event at the World Juniors
and it had flared up again.
Despite her disappointment she was still able to give
a mature interview to the BBC praising the achievements of her team mates.
The mark of a champion is to bounce back from disappointments and there is
no doubt she will do.
Interestingly mens 100 metre gold medallist James
Dasaolu did compete very briefly for the Club as an under 15. In fact in
2002 he won the Club high and long jump titles (1.70 and 5.32) but was
beaten in the 100 metres by Dominic Parsons by three tenths of a second 11.6
compared to 11.9. Dominic represented Great Britain in the Mens Skeleton at
the Winter Olympics in Sochi this year.
Club members will also no doubt be pleased to know
that following Mo Farah’s victory in the 5000 metres the oldest winner of
this event remains late Past President Sydney Wooderson who won the title in
1946 at the age of 31 years and 358 days in 14.08.6, a British best at the
time by 23 seconds and the second fastest ever.
The event has progressed since then and sixty eight
years on Alex Bruce Littlewood was nearly five seconds quicker at the
British Milers Club meeting at Solihull. He won the 5km in a new best of
14.03.79.
Club Record holder for the 5000 is Scott Overall with
13.28.33. Now concentrating on longer distances, he won the Rock and Roll
Half marathon in Dublin recently. In a race which incorporated the Irish
Championships he had a good battle with American Tyler McCandless up until
the 12 mile mark before pulling away to win in 65.20.
More Celtic success came at the Scottish Championships
at Kilmarnock where Zara Asante won the triple jump by over a metre with a
leap of 12.58. This means in the last five years she has won the event three
times and come second and third.
Further afield Henry Choong is representing Britain at
the World Youth Olympics in Nanjing, China. He is competing in the Modern
Pentathlon.
No doubt some of the Club’s youngsters will progress
to emulate these achievements and proof of this could be seen by the results
from the South Of England Championships at Crystal Palace where its athletes
won four gold medals, four silver and three bronze. They also set three new
Club records.
Katy-Ann McDonald was outstanding in the under 15
girls 800 metres winning the race by over ten seconds in 2.08.34. This time
is the fourth quickest time ever by a UK athlete in this age group and is a
new Club Record. She received a £100 bonus for breaking the ten year old
Championship record.
More middle distance success came in the under 17
womens age group as Kelsey Fuss won the 1500 metres steeplechase in 5.09.06.
She is second quickest in the country this year.
Tajera Baldie won both the under 13 girls 100 metres
and long jump contests with performances of 13.36 and 4.67.
Eloise Locke was another athlete to pick up two
medals. She won silver in the under 15s shot and javelin with distances of
11.94 and 38.21. These were just outside the Club records she holds for both
events but one who did break a record was Victoria Wiltshire. She was second
in the under 17 womens hammer with a throw of 50.73 improving her own
personal best and Club record and leaving her ranked 10th on the UK all time
list.
Isabella Hilditch picked up silver in the under 17s
300 metres in 41.88 and there were bronze medals also for Toyin Orelaja in
the triple jump with a leap of 11.15 and for Bailey Stickings in the 400
hurdles in a time of 55.80. Carys Marsden has made great progress this
Summer and she was rewarded with bronze in the under 15 girls discus with a
throw of 28.45.
Karina Harris may not have won a medal but her leap of
10.90 for fourth place in the under 15 girls triple jump broke her own Club
Record by seven centimetres and she also set a new best of 5.20 with 4th in
the long jump. Other fourth places came from Leah Everson in the under 17
womens 800 metres; James Lancaster in the under 15 boys hammer; and Eve
Keith in the under 15s discus.
Included at the meeting was the Area 5km walk
championships which saw Shaun Lightman finish 5th in 30.42.55, despite
carrying a slight injury. Unfortunately Peter Hannell was disqualified.
Earlier in the week, however, he had finished in 4th place in the Vets AC
Summer 5 mile race at Battersea. He timed 52.30 while David Hoben was 7th in
57.28.
Missing from last weeks report was news that as well
as winning the 5km at the British Masters Championships, Roger Michell was
also runner up in the 3000 walk in 16.12.05.
12/08/14
Blackheath & Bromley members are looking forward to
seeing two of their brightest talents compete at the European Athletics
Championships in Zurich this week. Both Adam Gemili and Dina Asher Smith
will be running in the 200 metres, the heats of which take place on Thursday
with the finals the following day. Adam is also in the Great Britain 4x100
metres squad.
Dina received plenty of attention in the National
press last weekend following her being crowned World Junior Champion and she
will have one other matter on her mind as she prepares for her event. She
gets her A level results on Thursday as well.
After winning his first Senior Championship medal at
the Commonwealth Games in the 100 metres, Adam will be looking to show he is
also master of the longer event and pick up a medal there too.
The Club finished in third place in the final British
Athletics League Division One match of the season at Lee Valley. Not only
did this ensure that they avoided relegation, it also left them in third
place overall for the season, their highest position in the League since
2001 when they were relegated from the top division .
Although the Club were fourth before the last match,
so close were the standings that any two of six clubs in the eight team
division could have been relegated. That they weren’t was because of some
fine individual performances and a good team spirit which ensured every A
and B string was filled even if those competing were not doing their main
discipline.
Jermaine Olasan was a perfect example of this. He won
his specialist event, the long jump with a leap of 7.28. Then, knowing that
the Club had its three best triple jumpers abroad or injured, he volunteered
to take one effort in this competition as well. He ended up taking all six
jumps and finishing in 2nd place in the competition, improving his personal
best by over half a metre to 14.39.
Likewise another volunteer Duayne Bovell jumped a
seasons best of 12.64 in the B string and the two joined Kieran Daly and
Tremayne Gilling in the 4x100 team which ran a seasons best of 41.57 to
finish second . Earlier Kieran and Tremayne had won both strings of the 100
metres in times of 10.60 and 10.87 despite running into headwinds of -1.1
and -5.2. For good measure Dan Putnam recorded the fastest non scoring 100
of 10.89.
Kieran and Dan then finished 2nd and 3rd in their
respective 200 metre races in 21.60 and 21.75 and Dan would have gone
quicker but for an Achilles injury.
The Club’s other winner on the track was Alex Bruce
Littlewood who took the honours in the 1500 after a titanic battle down the
home straight with Windsor’s Alex Tovey. Just 25 minutes separated this and
the 3000 metres which saw Alex back on the track again to finish third.
Likewise youngster Will Fuller, who had interrupted a family holiday to come
back to compete for the team. He was 4th in the B 1500 and then, with the B
string athlete stuck in traffic and unable to make the start, he was 6th in
the 3000 as well.
Back in the field Mark Longhurst had his first outdoor
pole vault competition of the season following injuries either side of his
exams. Still not on a full run up, he cleared 4.40 to win the contest on
countback and looks like he can go still higher. Under 20 Max Hodson
equalled his best of 3.40 in the B string.
Despite suffering with painful shins Jon Pairman also
equalled his best in the high jump with a leap of 1.75 while there also
personal bests for another under 20 Louis Mascarenhas (discus 45.68),
Warwick University student Georges Vacharapoulos (800 1.55.22) and the ever
reliable Alex Pope (Hammer 42.70).
In addition seasons bests were recorded by Steve
Timmins (shot 13.75) and Richard Davies, who had endured a six hour car
journey down from Leeds the previous day (400 51.23).
Busiest man of the day was Mark Cryer who started the
afternoon with a win in the B string long jump with 6.75. He was also in
action in the high jump, 110 hurdles, javelin and the 4x400. Craig Morten
was also part of this 4x400 after having also competed in the 400 hurdles
and 400. He hadn’t been supposed to be running the relay but the injury to
Dan Putnam meant he was called into the quartet after he had left for home.
Will Ruiz was another to go out of the way to compete
for the Club. The youngster landed back from holiday at Gatwick at 10am and,
despite only an hour and halfs sleep the night before, was on the track at
2.50 to race the 800.
Richard Webb also competed on the way back from a
holiday break in the West Country. He was 5th in the A string steeplechase
in 10.08.85.
B string runner Alex Gibbins had a remarkably good run
given the circumstances. After the gruelling training for, and the racing
of, the London Marathon, he injured himself doing the gardening. Having
missed racing on the track all Summer, he committed to run at Lee Valley but
contracted food poisoning from a takeaway curry the previous weekend. Unable
to eat anything substantial for most of the week, he felt sufficiently
recovered by Thursday evening and was able to take third place in a very
respectable 10.13.50.
Team captain Ed Harrison has little time to train now
because of work commitments. During the week he had been helping with the
construction of the facilities for the V2 festival. Understandably tired
from the heavy labour in the blazing heat, he still scored important points
in the 400 hurdles and 110 hurdles. He has hardly missed a match for the
last ten years.
After being promoted to the division last year, third
place in the table represents a most satisfactory season and the team will
be looking to build on this success in 2015.
The Club had been looking forward to one more Senior
match, the Jo Smith Cup contested by the top 8 combined mens and womens
teams from 2013 based on each clubs finishing position in the British
Athletics League and UK Womens League. Unfortunately this years competition
has been cancelled which is a pity because on this years tables B&B are the
equal third best combined senior mens and women squad in the country, level
with Enfield & Haringey but behind the Birchfield Harriers and the City Of
Manchester. With the Club qualifying for both the Upper and Lower age group
National Finals of the UK Development League it could be argued that they
are the most successful Club across the age groups not only in London but
the whole of the South Of England.
One of the stars of the Lower age group this year has
been Edward Adams who seems to excel at every event in which he contests. It
was no surprise, therefore, to see him competing in the England Under 15
Octathlon Championships at Bedford. He enjoyed an outstanding couple of days
finishing in second place to win a National silver medal.
His score of 3903 was itself a personal best and he
set new bests in four of the eight disciplines. He started with a wind
assisted best of 12.15 in the 100 metres to give himself a healthy start
with 622 points. A 1.62 clearance in the high jump followed before a new
best of 58.01 for the 400 metres. The first day ended with a throw of 37.68
in the javelin, leaving him in the lead at the half way stage with 1994
points.
The second day started even better as he amassed 714
points in the 80 metre hurdles with a time of 11.93. Next was the discus and
a very useful throw of 32.58 before his first ever pole vault competition in
which he cleared 2.40. He rounded off the weekend with a time of 3.22.6 in
the 1000 metres.
More National success came at the British Masters
Championships in Birmingham, although there were not a large number of Club
members competing. The main success came in the pole vault where Jackie
Montgomery won the overs 50s event with a clearance of 2.60 and just missed
out on a personal best as she brushed the bar at 2.70. It completed a
successful weekend for her coach John Wakeman who had prepared Edward Adams
for his first vault competition and who also looks after Max Hodson as well
as Dartford‘s Teresa Eades who won the over 55s event at Birmingham.
Allan Williams has had more than his share of coaching
champions but on this occasion he was also picking up a gold medal. He won
the over 60s title with a clearance of 3.40 and he also coaches three of the
other winners at these Championships.
Roger Michell was the Club’s third gold medallist as
he won the over 65s 5000 walk in a time of 27.40.05.
No weekend would be complete this Summer without a
Club Record for Helen Godsell and she duly obliged by clocking 14.11 in the
100 metres to win silver, just two hundredths of a second behind the winner.
She also took silver in the 200 metres in 30.17 as did Mike Van Den
Dobbelsteen in the over 45s javelin with a throw of 49.83.
Tom Phillips was 4th in the over 60s 200 and 6th in
the 100 with times of 27.17 and 13.33.
5-08-14
The 2014 Commonwealth Games at Glasgow have been a
memorable time for Blackheath & Bromley. Not only have seven Club athletes
been in action at the Games; a number of former members have been competing,
one volunteer has been providing a massage service; numerous Club members
have been in Scotland as spectators and the Club vest has also appeared in
the BBCs opening titles.
Reported last week, the most notable achievement has
been that of Adam Gemili who produced one of England’s early highlights as
he won silver in the 100 metres. It was another fine performance from Adam
and his first Senior Championship medal.
His second medal was soon to follow as part of the
England 4x100 metres squad. He did not contest the heat but he ran first leg
in the final. With a good start and solid change to Sutton’s Harry
Aikines-Aryeetey, he did his job well. The England team could not, however,
get the better of the Jamaicans who were anchored home to victory by Usain
Bolt. They timed 38.02 and would have had to have run a National record to
beat the Jamaicans who set a Games record of 37.58.
Having booked her place in the tripe jump final with a
leap of 13.14 Chioma Matthews returned to the Arena the following day to set
a seasons best of 13.46, just four centimetres off her best, to finish in
8th place.
Lorraine Ugen did not go as far as she had hoped in
the long jump but to finish in 5th place in the Commonwealth is no disgrace.
She recorded a distance of 6.39 which was just 10 centimetres off a bronze
medal.
Pippa Woolven set a new personal best of 9.47.97 in
the womens 3000 metres steeplechase to finish in 9th place. This was over
six seconds quicker than she had run before.
In the womens javelin Izzy Jeffs finished in 9th place
in the final with a distance of 53.77.
Serita Solomon just missed out on a place in the final
of the 100 hurdles when she was pipped for second place in her heat.
Sporting the best socks of the Games, she had a good start and was in second
place for most of the race but was just caught before the line. She timed
13.38, the same time as the second placer who got automatic qualification
for the final.
Shaunagh Brown qualified for the final of the Hammer
and finished in 11th place with a distance of 58.67. She had thrown a little
further in her heat with 59.37.
Some former members were also competing. Emily Godley
finished in 5th place in the weightlifting; Amir Williamson was 6th in the
hammer; Alex AlAmeen, who was representing Nigeria, was 7th in the 110
hurdles; and Sophie Hitchon won bronze in the womens hammer. Sam Williams
husband Conrad won a gold in the 4x400 metres.
Nick Nuttall was in Glasgow as part of the Sports
massage team. He was working with the mountain bikers.
The sharp eyed will have spotted the Club vest appear
very briefly at the end of the BBC’s opening titles. This featured two
discus throwers turning to send the implement towards the camera. One of
these was Club member Louis Mascarenhas.
Louis has been in action himself the last couple of
weekends. At the final UK Youth Development League, Southern Premier 1
meeting at Allianz Park he won the under 20 mens discus with a throw of
51.57. Other wins in the under 20s came from Jessica Keene (800 and 3000);
Stefan Amokwandoh and Kerri Davidson (both triple jumps); and both womens
relay quartets.
Molly Scott made an impressive debut in the under 17s
age group winning the 80 metre hurdles by nearly a second in a personal best
of 11.36. In the longer hurdles over 300 metres Isabella Hilditch won in a
new best of 44.12 which leaves her 5th ranked in the country this year.
Kelsey Fuss ran the second quickest time in the country so far this year in
the 1500 metres steeplechase as she won in 5.01.97. She also took maximum
points in the 800 in 2.18.52.
Jazz Crawford won the 200 in a wind assisted best of
24.90 and Parris Johnson’s winning B string time of 25.34 would have won the
A string had Jazz not been there. Not surprisingly the women won the 4x100.
In the field Jamilya Robinson Pascal took the long
jump; Toyin Orelaja the triple jump and Dele Aladese the discus.
The squad finished in 4th place on the day but with
their placings in the earlier three rounds they have qualified for the
National Final on the 7th of September in Birmingham.
Some of these athletes were back again at the same
venue last Sunday for the South Of England Inter Counties match for under
20s and under 15s. Louis won both the shot and discus events with distances
of 14.53 and 53.16. Kerri won the triple jump by one centimetre with a leap
of 12.10. Kelsey was 4th in the 1500 metres in 4.36.14.
In the under 15s Katy Ann McDonald won the 1500 metres
in 4.38.58 and in the boys race Henry James Cowie set a new best of 4.22.00
to finish 4th.
The Club were particularly well represented in the
throws with Eloise Locke finishing second in the shot and javelin with
distances of 12.06 and 36.08; and Victoria Wiltshire runner up also in the
hammer with 49.97. Eve Keith was 5th in the discus while Femi Sofolarin took
6th in the javelin with 39.92.
Edward Adams set a new best of 5.74 in the long jump.
The day before the Club had won the last Sweatshop
Southern Athletics League Division One match of the season at Norman Park.
It was a close affair and with just the mens 4x400 metres to go B&B and
Colchester were level on 190 points. However, the Club’s quartet of Georges
Vacharopoulos, Luke Smallwood, Mark Cryer and Dan Putnam set a new League
record of 3.17.59 to win by over 15 seconds.
It was a fine way to end an exciting match and the
victory ensured the Club comfortably avoided being relegated to Division
Two.
Dan Putnam’s split in the 4x400 was 46.8 and his 21.35
in winning the 200 was the individual highlight of the day. He also won the
100 in 10.78.
Zara Asante also enjoyed a double A string victory.
She won the long jump with a seasons best of 5.42 and then leapt 12.50 to
take the triple jump by nearly two and a half metres. B string winner Toyin
Orelaja’s 11.16 would have won the A string had Zara not been there and
amazingly the duo’s distances would have gained maximum points in the mens
event!
Tom Parker set a new best of 56.97 to win the hammer.
There were bests also for Carole Penlington who won the 3000 metres by over
a minute and a half in 10.26.39; and for Sonia Woolhouse who soared over
2.90 to win the pole vault.
School teacher Steve Timmins is obviously benefitting
from the start of the holidays as he set seasons bests in the shot, discus
and hammer. He won the shot contest with 13.72. Further A string wins came
from Krystal Galley (400), Georges Vacharopoulos (1500), Mark Cryer (110
hurdles), , Alex Pope (discus), Mike Van Den Dobbelsteen (javelin), and the
mens 4x100 metres team.
To add to the celebrations Helen Godsell set a new
Club over 60s record as she timed 30.06 in the non scoring 200 metres.
Acting womens team manager Jackie Montgomery was
delighted with the result and she too has broken a Club record recently. She
won the over 50s pole vault at the EAMA Outdoor Inter Area Challenge match
at Solihull in 2.62 improving her previous best mark by a centimetre. Helen
Godsell was also been in action there and she won the 200 metres in 30.61.
Tom Phillips was third in the mens over 60s 100 metres in 13.28.
29-07-14
Dina Asher Smith is the World Junior 100 metre
champion. The Blackheath & Bromley athlete dominated the event in Oregon,
USA, winning the final in 11.23, a full 16 hundredths clear of Angela
Tenorio of Ecuador.
She had set out her intentions from the start as she
posted a time of 11.18 in her heat, one of the fastest in the World this
year. A strong headwind of -1.7 metres per second meant that her winning
time in her semi final was 11.31.
There was another headwind in the final of -1.0 m/s
but it is the same for everyone. She simply blew the opposition away and
crossed the line, with arms in the air and a Champions smile on her face.
As she did so, the Club had both the male and female
champions as Adam Gemili held the mens title from 2012. It would only last
for 15 minutes before the 2014 final took place, but few countries can ever
have done this let alone one Club.
Dina was also supposed to be racing the 200 metres but
it was decided that she withdraw as a precaution because of a minor back
problem.
It doesn’t just happen. Great talent, hard work,
support from all quarters and a top class coach in John Blackie meant Dina
achieved her goal.
To show this was no one off, her training partner
Shannon Hylton finished in 4th place in the 200 metres. Running in lane 8
she timed 23.25, the same as third placed Tenorio, the 100 metres silver
medallist.
She had been second in her semi final in 23.36 again
with a wind above the legal limit and runner up in her heat in 23.78.
As it is her first year in the age group she will be
looking forward to next years European Junior Championships where she will
aim to succeed Dina as 200 metre champion.
With such success in the individual events there were
high hopes of more medals in the 4x100 metres. Dina and Shannon were rested
for the heat but the Club were still represented as Shannon’s twin sister
Cheriece ran a strong second leg down the back straight. Sadly the baton was
dropped at the third changeover and Britain were out. The mens team went the
same way.
Cheriece soon bounced back from this disappointment.
She won a silver medal as she ran the anchor leg in the 4x400 metres
bringing Britain home in second place in 3.32.00, the second fastest ever by
a GB Junior team. Her split was a impressive 52.35.
It brought to a close a memorable week for the
athletes, families, their coach, Club and supporters.
Adam Gemili, meanwhile, is one of seven Club athletes
who are competing at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and he produced one
of England’s early highlights as he won silver in the 100 metres.
Having already competed at the Olympic Games and World
Championships, it is hard to believe that he is still only 20 year old, but
in that time he has shown he is one for the big occasion.
Going into the Games he was not in the top 10 of the
Commonwealth rankings but he soon asserted himself by recording the fastest
time in the heats with 10.15. He also won his semi final in 10.07 but there
were plenty of athletes capable of challenging for medals not least
Jamaica’s Kemar Bailey Cole who ran the fastest semi.
His best start of the Games saw Adam leading Bailey
Cole in the early stages but the tall Jamaican pulled away from the field to
win in 10.00. A blanket finish saw Adam dip to take second place, two
hundredths clear of another Jamaican Nickel Ashmeade.
It was another fine performance from Adam and his
first Senior Championship medal. He is also in the GB 4x100 metres squad.
Chioma Matthews already has a Commonwealth medal. She
won a bronze in the 2006 Games in Melbourne as part of the England netball
team. She justified her change of Sports by being selected for this years
triple jump and she booked herself a place in the final with a leap of
13.14.
Shaunagh Brown qualified for the final of the Hammer
and finished in 11th place with a distance of 58.67. She had thrown a little
further in her heat with 59.37.
Former member Emily Godley finished in 5th place in
the weightlifting.
Further details of the Games will appear next week.
All three of the Club’s World Junior representatives
and Shaunagh have been competing for the Club since they were 11 year olds
and they will no doubt be delighted that the Club’s under 15s and under 13s
have qualified for the National Final of the UK Youth Development League
which takes place on the first weekend of September at Birmingham‘s
Alexander Stadium.
They secured the title by winning three of the four
matches including the final fixture at Tooting Bec.
In the under 15s age group there were impressive wins
in the A string throws from Victoria Wiltshire in the hammer (48.08) and
Eloise Locke in the javelin (38.29). Significantly Carys Marsden’s throw of
40.76 to win the B string hammer would have won the A string but for
Victoria’s effort. There was also a win for the 4x300 metres team of Roisin
Atkins-Dykes, Grace Scopes, Kate Purser and Yasmin Austridge in 2.56.2.
In the under 13s Tajera Baldie ran the 5th fastest
time in the country this year for the 150 metres as she clocked 19.5.
Amazingly this only got her third in the race such was the standard of the
opposition. She did, however, win the shot with a throw of 9.79. Tom Mills
won the boys shot with 9.81, a distance that puts him 10th ranked in the
country this year. He also threw 34.33 in the javelin.
Imogen Meers won the 1200 metres in a very useful
3.58.7 and more middle distance success came as Peter Guy won the 1500
metres in 4.46.5.
That the Club did not win lots of events is testimony
to the quality of the athletes competing and the fact that they won the
match emphasises how much this was a great team effort with many youngsters
setting personal bests and battling for every point.
Typifying the spirit was under 17 Bailey Stickings who helped look after the
under 15s team with manager Nic Corry away, with under 15 Harry Taylor also
offering to help.
The under 15s and under 13s compete on the Saturday in
Birmingham and on the Sunday it will be the turn of the under 20s and under
17s as they too have qualified for their National Final. Full details of
their final League match will feature next week.
Highlight of the South Of England Under 13 Inter
Counties meeting at Kingston was a double victory in the 1500 metres. Rowan
Fuss won the A string in 4.41.49 with Peter Guy first in the B string with
4.44.01. Pedro Gleadall set new bests in the javelin and high jump of 34.97
and 1.40 as did Caelan Raju in the 75 metre hurdles.
Tom Mills threw well with distances of 9.19 in the
shot and 24.82 in the discus while Robert Suckling timed 2.25.74 in the B
800.
Not far away at the Tooting Bec, two Club records were
set in the Herne Hill Harriers 125th Anniversary Open Meeting. Eloise Locke
moved up to third in the UK Under 15 girls shot rankings as she produced a
throw of 12.18. Tajera Baldie is also ranked third in the same event in the
Under 13 girls age group. She added over half a metre to her previous best
with 10.49.
The last Blackheath & Bromley open meeting produced an
outstanding performance from one of the youngest competitors. Rowan Fuss is
still at primary school but he smashed the Club under 13s 1500 metre record
with a time of 4.29.64. It is the fastest time in this age group this year
by over four seconds and leaves him ranked 10th on the UK all time list.
Marco Arcuri is the Club 5000 metres champion. The
under 17 won in a time of 16.52.9. First in the womens race was Carole
Penlington in 18.18.9 while further down the field Maz Turner set a Club
over 60s record of 29.54.6.
Shaun Lightman finished in 5th place in the Home
Countries Inter Area 2km walk at Solihull. In hot conditions he timed
11.44.86. He was back in action three days later at Sutcliffe Park where he
was 9th in the 1000 metres in 5.27.67 with Peter Hannell 10th in 6.07.38.
David Hoben preferred something a little longer. He
took part in the Nijmegen Marches which covers 200km in four days. There
were over a million spectators each day with a two minutes silence to
remember the Dutch lives lost in the recent Malaysian plane disaster.
22-07-14
Ten athletes from Blackheath & Bromley are set to
grace the International stage over the next couple of weeks as they compete
at the World Junior Championships in Oregon and the Commonwealth Games in
Glasgow.
Dina Asher Smith is the first in action on Tuesday the
22nd (18.35 local time) as she races in the heats of 100 metres at the World
Juniors. All going well, she will have the semi finals and finals on
Wednesday. She is then joined by Shannon Hylton in the 200 metres on
Thursday. Both are in the Great Britain 4x100 metres squad along with
Cheriece Hylton who is also in the 4x400.
As they finish in Oregon, the Commonwealth Games
Athletics programme begins in Glasgow with Adam Gemili in the 100 metres and
Shaunagh Brown in the Hammer. Chioma Matthews (triple jump), Serita Solomon
(100 hurdles), Lorraine Ugen (long jump), Izzy Jeffs (javelin) and Pippa
Wolven (3000 steeplechase ) will follow.
Club involvement does not end there, however, as Nick
Nuttall is providing a massage service at the Games and will be working with
the mountain bikers.
Prior to Glasgow, Serita Solomon ran at the
Sainsbury’s Anniversary Games on a specially built track at Horse Guards
Parade. She finished in third place in her heat of the 100 hurdles in 13.41.
Kieran Daly may not be heading to Scotland but he did beat World Indoor 60
metre champion Richard Kilty in the 100 metres timing 10.36.
Adam Gemili raced at the LEAP meeting in Loughborough
where he won the 200 metres in 20.53. Dan Putnam set a personal best of
21.14 and also timed 10.73 into a headwind in the 100. Montell Douglas, who
took relay gold at the last Games, ran 11.43 in the 100.
She was even quicker in the sprints meeting at Newham
where she produced an 11.37 clocking and ran 23.83 for the 200. Femi Owolade
ran a 21.23 seasons best.
Toby Olubi timed 10.96 at the meeting at Crystal
Palace while Vickie Cole made a welcome return after becoming a mother
running 13.03.
Following his victory in the English Schools last week
new member James Whiteaker represented England in the Home Countries
International at Cardiff. He finished in second place with a distance of
67.41. Another new recruit Molly Scott was also runner in the 80 metre
hurdles in a time of 11.62.
Many of the Club’s other under 17s were in action at
the Southern Inter Counties match at Portsmouth. Most were competing for
Kent who won both the mens and womens competitions; and many of them set
personal bests.
Bailey Stickings won the 400 metre hurdles in 55.5 and
dipped under 50 seconds in the 4x400 with a 49.8 split. Kelsey Fuss set a
personal best of 5.01.4 in winning the 1500 metres steeplechase by over 40
seconds; as did Toyin Orelaja in the triple jump with a leap of 11.17.
Jessica Keene took the honours in the 1500 metres winning by over three
seconds in 4.44.1.
She also finished second in the B string 800 in 2.21.6
as Georgina Taylor was 7th in the A string in 2.19.4. Further middle
distance success came as Joss Barber ran a new best of 9.22.9 for 5th in the
3000 metres with Joanna Clowes 8th in the womens race in 12.54.6; and
Shannon Riskey 5th in the B 1500 in 4.55.7.
Isabella Hilditch improved her best in the 80 metre
hurdles to 11.7 to finish in second place and this leaves her ranked equal
10th in the country.
In the field Dele Aladese was 2nd in the discus with
37.43 while in the womens event both Anna Barnett and Joanna Clowes threw
further than ever before with distances of 31.69 and 11.98 respectively.
They were 4th and 7th in their strings and Anna was also 7th in the shot
with 9.16.
Phillipa Croft went over 2.80 in the pole vault for
the first time and secured third place in the A string and it was third also
for Jamilya Robinson Pascal in the long jump with a leap of 5.22. Jamilya
was also 7th in the long jump with a clearance of 1.55 while Toyin Orelaja
was equal second in the B string with 1.50.
The Club’s under 15s and under 13s won their UK
Development League Lower Age Group Southern Premier 1 match at Tooting and
have qualified for the National Final on the 6th of September. The late
availability of results means that full details will appear in the next
report.
More good news came as the women have qualified for
the Southern Counties Vets AC Final which takes place the following day.
They were second in a very close final Kent League match at Dartford just
two points ahead of the hosts and this secured qualification behind
champions Cambridge Harriers.
Every point was important on the night from those who
won their events to those who competed in disciplines in which they had
little experience. Some did both. Carole Penlington won the over 35s 800
metres as well as competing in the B string 100 metres and being part of the
winning 4x100 team along with Charlotte Stickings, Helen Godsell and Jane
Bradshaw. Charlotte had already competed in the 100 and long jump and Jane
the 800.
Helen had the distinction of competing in three
different age groups on the night for, as well as her relay success in the
over 35s, she also won the over 50s 100, and was second in both the over 60s
800 and long jump. Not only that, her time of 3.04.5 in the 800 was a Club
Record for an over 60.
Barbara Terry was another to compete in a younger age
group. Although an over 65 she was runner up in the over 35s discus with
18.87. There were second places also for Rosie Ferguson in the over 50s 800
and Jackie Montgomery in the long jump. Jackie was also 5th in the discus.
Team manager Maz Turner pulled the strings while
competing in the Division Two match at the same venue. The B team came third
on the night and included a win for Cath Messent in the 2000 walk.
It has not been a vintage year for the men and they
will not be in the Area Final in September. They had left themselves too
much to do going into the last match and were 4th on the night and 4th
overall for the season.
Steve Timmins won the over 35s discus with a throw of
37.88 and there was a welcome return to competition for Paul Sutherland who
won a competitive over 50s long jump with a leap of 4.74, just three
centimetres clear of the runner up.
Shaun Lightman finished in 15th place in the National
10km Road Walking Championships in blazing heat at Hillingdon Cycle Track.
No stranger to extreme conditions having competed in the 1968 Olympics, he
timed one hour 3 minutes and 40 seconds while Peter Hannell was 19th in
1.07.42.
Jessica Jones was the latest winner of the Parris
Handicap 5km road race series which takes place over the Summer months. She
won by one second from Pete Rogers who, ever the gentleman, stopped to allow
her to pass. Peter Tucker was third just two second behind and his actual
time of 16.48 was the quickest of the night. Second quickest was Marco
Arcuri in 16.52 with David Beadle third (18.31).
Fastest woman was Shauna Paice in 20.52 followed by
Sarah Belaon 21.16 with Jessica Jones third in 22.00.
With four of the six races completed Scott Bulmer
leads on 126 points with Clem Leon second on 116 and Pete Rogers third on
108. Another five athletes have over a 100 points so there is still
everything to play for.
Full details of Club members performances at the most
recent park runs can be found at the link below
http://www.parkrun.com/results/consolidatedclub/?clubNum=181&eventdate=2014-07-19
15-07-14
Dina Asher Smith and Adam Gemili have both been
selected to represent Great Britain in the 200 metres at the European
Championships in Zurich, Switzerland from the 12th to the 17th of August.
Adam is currently the second fastest athlete in Europe with 20.20 behind
France’s Christophe Lemaitre (20.11). He has also been selected for the
4x100 metres relay.
Although still a junior, Dina is the sixth fastest in
Europe with 22.74. She is actually fourth ranked in the 100 metres with
11.14 but as she is already doubling up at World Junior Championships in
Eugene which begin on the 22nd of July, it is prudent she compete in just
one event .
Joining Dina in the United States are the Hylton
sisters Cheriece and Shannon and before they travelled they were part of
another successful English Schools Championships for the athletes of
Blackheath & Bromley as the Club brought home five gold medals, one silver
and four bronze, from this years meeting at Birmingham’s Alexander Stadium.
Both girls won gold medals in the Senior Girls age
group. Cheriece took the 400 metre title in 54.53 while Shannon struck gold
in the 200 metres in 23.80.
In the field Kerri Davidson won the triple jump title
with a leap of 12.40, just eight centimetres outside her personal best .
In the Senior boys there was a one - two for Club
members in the discus with Matt Blandford winning with a throw of 52.60 and
Louis Mascarenhas second with 51.86. Stefan Amokwandoh was third in the
triple jump with a leap of 14.59.
The Club’s newest member produced the most stunning
performance of the Championships. James Whiteaker only joined B&B during the
week. He set a new UK record of 77.12 when he won the Intermediate Boys
javelin. This is over three and a half metres further than anyone has ever
thrown before as an under 17 and astonishingly this is only his first year
in the age group His reward for his efforts is automatic selection for the
England team for this weekends Home Countries Schools International match at
Cardiff.
The remaining medals all came in the Junior Girls
throws. Victoria Wiltshire set a new best and Club Record of 50.21 to finish
third in the Hammer. Her distance puts her 11th on the UK all time list.
Eloise Locke took third in the javelin with a new best
and Club Record of 39.42. With another year left in the age group this
Record could be up for a series of revisions over the next year.
Eve Keith also set a personal best as she was third in
the discus with a throw of 31.97. This is the sixth furthest in the country
this year.
Just to get selected to compete in these Championships
is an achievement in itself and many of the Club’s athletes came close to
medals or set personal bests. Vivien Olatunji was 4th in the Senior Girls
100 metres in a time of 12.08, having equalled her best of 12.04 in her
heat. Helena Coleman was 12th in the pole vault with a clearance of 3
metres.
In the Senior Boys 110 hurdles Kertis Beswick ran a
new best of 14.16 to finish in 5th place while Reece Young timed 14.75 in
the heats. Will Fuller was 8th in the 3000 metres in 8.45.15 and Richard
Webb closed in 9th in the 2000 metres steeplechase in 6.27.51. Matthew Chant
clocked 22.15 in the heats of the 200 while in the field Robert Sutherland
was 8th in the triple jump with 13.48.
Isabella Hilditch was another to narrowly miss a
medal. She set a new best of 44.18 in the heats of the 300 metre hurdles and
was then just one hundredth of a second slower in the final where she was
4th.
Jessica Keene was 5th in the 3000 metres in 10.02.49 ;
Parris Johnson 7th in the 100 (12.45) Toyin Orelaja 8th in the triple jump
with 11.05; Kelsey Fuss 12th in the 1500 metres in 4.55.92 and Jamilya
Robinson Pascal 12th in the long jump with 5.04. Leah Everson ran a useful
2.16.00 in the heats of the 800.
Bailey Stickings ran a new best of 55.45 in the heats
of the Intermediate Boys 400 hurdles and was 4th in the final in 55.57 which
was quicker than he had run prior to the Championships.
James Lancaster was 7th in the Junior Boys hammer with
a throw of 40.63.
For the girls Magda Cienciala was 5th in the 100
metres in a new best of 12.29 but there was disappointment for Katy Ann
McDonald who was disqualified in the 1500 metres final after winning her
heat in 4.38.78.
The same fate befell Kieran Daly whose outstanding
season was recognised with an invitation to compete in the Sainsbury’s
Glasgow Grand Prix at Hampden Park. He was adjudged to have made a false
start in the 100 metres and was disqualified.
This is where the Commonwealth Games will take place
later this month and Serita Solomon, one of the seven Club members who have
been selected, warmed up for the event with a win in the 100 metre hurdles
at the Cork City Sports meeting in Ireland. She timed 13.28. Alex Bruce
Littlewood was 4th in the 3000 metres in 8.06.18 and days later set a new
best of 3.45.84 for 1500 metres at the British Milers Club Grand Prix at
Stretford.
Another Commonwealth selection Chioma Matthews was in
action in Spain at the Gran Premio Ciudad de Avila meeting. She set a
seasons best of 13.44, just six centimetres off her lifetime best, to finish
fourth in the triple jump.
Montell Douglas won a gold medal in the 4x100 metres
at the last Commonwealths in Delhi in 2010. Sadly she has not made it to
Glasgow this year but she did show her quality at the Southern Inter
Counties match at Mile End where she dominated the 100 metres timing 11.49
with no one else under 12 seconds. Grace Sheppard won the B race in 12.21, a
time which would have won the A race had Montell not been competing, with
Shayone Simao third in 12.21.
Other A string wins came from Zara Asante in the
triple jump with a seasons best of 12.78 and second claimer Caroline Ford
who won the 800 in 2.14.14 and was third in the 1500 in 4.44.46.
Krystal Galley was second in the 400 metres in 58.57
as was second claimer Clare Elms in the 3000 metres in 10.14.17.
Duayne Bovell was 6th in the 200 (22.49); Natalie
Jones 6th in the 400 hurdles (67.85) while Emily Martin and Samantha Milner
won the B string long jump and discus competitions with performances of 5.32
and 42.00. Sonia Woolhouse was 2nd in the B pole vault with a clearance of
2.50 and Peter Hannell was 4th in the B string of the 3000 metres walk in
18.47.07.
With so much going on it was perhaps inevitable that
the Club would not be at full strength for the latest Southern Athletics
League match of the season at Norwich. However, it was still disappointing
that the Club finished last of the four teams and did not score over 100
points.
This means that after being joint top after two
matches the Club has now slipped to 12th place, perilously close to the
relegation. In fact if the League table were to be based on match points
rather than League points they would be joint bottom.
That they struggled in Norfolk can no way be
attributed to the athletes that did compete. There were some good
performances and a number did extra events.
Danielle Critchley was the only individual winner
taking the 400 metres in 58.4 but perhaps the individual performance of the
day came from Helen Godsell who broke her own over 60s Club record in the
100 metres with a time of 14.5.
The Club will be looking for a strong performance in
the final match of the season at Norman Park on the 2nd of August.
Regardless of what the result was at Norwich there was
a dark cloud over the meeting with the sad news of the death of official
Keith Bundock. Keith had only confirmed on the Tuesday that he would be
there on Saturday. He died the next day.
Keith has been officiating at the Clubs matches for
over 20 years after his son Matthew took up the throws. Over the years he
has travelled all over the country officiating for the Club. He received an
England Athletics London Region award for his services to officiating last
year. He will be greatly missed at local, County, Area and National level.
Southern Athletics League team manager Jane Bradshaw
enjoyed some success on the roads as she was the first woman to finish in
the Dartford Half Marathon. She was 27th overall in 94.00.
Her son Charlie Short is the latest recipient of a
Jack Petchey Foundation award. Charlie is becoming a very important member
of the Club’s under 15s squad. He has been improving steadily in the throws
through hard work and has also competed in the 2000 metres walk scoring
important points for the team.
Highlight of the latest Parkruns was a win in the
Bromley event for Marco Arcuri in a time of 17.18. Carole Penlington was
first woman to finish in the Crystal Palace event in 19.38. Full details of
the weeks runs can be found at the link below.
http://www.parkrun.com/results/consolidatedclub/?clubNum=181&eventdate=2014-07-12
8-07-14
World records, National records, Club Records, World
Championship selections, European Championship selections, National Schools
selections, Area Selections, great team performances and numerous personal
bests. Just another week at Blackheath & Bromley Harriers AC and a great
month to shop at Waitrose!
Adam Gemili booked his place in the 200 metres for the
European Championships when he timed 20.20 for the distance at the Mannheim
International meeting in Germany. At last weeks Trials he was second in a
time that was outside the qualifying standard. His performance last Saturday
clinched his selection. It is the second fastest time by a European this
year and no Briton, other than Adam, has run faster in the event since
Marlon Devonish timed 20.19 in 2002.
This completed a most satisfactory weekend for the
Blackheath & Bromley athlete as the previous day he had set a new Club
Record in the 100 metres when he timed 10.04.
Dina Asher Smith was not only in Club Record form, she
broke the National Under 20s record for the 100 metres with a time of 11.14
in her heat of the 100 metres. This bettered by four hundredths of a second
Jodie Williams previous record set three years ago. They are the only
Britons to have run under 11.20 ever and it leaves her 4th on the Senior all
time list. Dina ran 11.03 in her final, which is actually inside Clubmate
Montell Douglas British Senior record but with a following wind of +2.2
metre per second it cannot be counted.
Prior to Mannheim her 11.14 would have been the
fastest by a junior in the world this year but on the same day as Dina was
competing in Germany, US sprinter Kaylin Whitney posted a time of 11.10 at
Eugene, Oregon where the World Championships take place this month.
The Hylton sisters were also part of the Great Britain
party in Mannheim and acquitted themselves extremely well. Shannon timed
23.33 in the 200 metres which was again inside the qualifying time for the
World Championships, albeit wind assisted. She’s already been under the
qualifying standard seven times this year. Cheriece ran a new personal best
of 53.54 in the 400 metres less than three tenths of a second off a
qualifying time.
All three girls were involved in the sprint relays
with a GB team including Cheriece and Dina running 44.66, the third fastest
by a Nation in the world this year behind Jamaica and Trinidad & Tobago.
Then in a second race a team including Shannon and Dina timed 45.22.
The reward for all these efforts came when Great
Britain announced its full team for the World Junior Championships. Dina had
already been selected for the 100 and 200 and she has now been joined by
Shannon in the 200. Both are picked for the 4x100 squad as is Cheriece who
has also been selected for the 4x400squad. It was a memorable weekend for
the girls, coach John Blackie, the Club, their families and all those who
have supported them in their careers so far.
Back in the UK, the Senior women finished in 5th place
in the final UK Womens League Premier Division match of the season at Eton.
This means they have finished 4th in the League for 2014, their second best
ever finish.
After the sprinting excellence shown by Club members
in Germany, Montell Douglas took the baton in the UK to win both the 100 and
200 metre races in times of 11.33 and 23.73, the latter a seasons best. She
made it a hat trick of victories when she joined Megan Southwart, Vivien
Olatunji and Grace Sheppard for victory in the 4x100 in 46.96.
Grace and Vivien had earlier gained valuable points in
the B string 100 and 200 metre races respectively where they both finished
second. Vivien’s time of 25.08 was a new personal best.
The other highlight was the performance of Clare Elms. She was 6th in the
1500 in 4.36.79 which is a new World Record for an over 50 woman, taking
over three seconds off the record she already held.
Shaunagh Brown did not win any A strings but this is
the highest level of club athletics in the country. The Commonwealth Games
representative was 2nd in the hammer, 3rd in the shot and 4th in the discus.
Sonia Woolhouse set a personal best of 2.80 in the
pole vault and there were also pbs from Natalie Jones in the javelin (20.93)
and from Katrina Cosby in the triple jump (10.34), while Grace Sheppard
equalled her best in the high jump with leap of 1.50.
In addition Zara Asante set seasons bests of 12.67 in
the triple jump and 5.26 in the long jump; as did Samantha Brown in the 400
hurdles with 63.38.
More good points came from Jahisha Thomas in the long
jump and sprint hurdles; Jackie Montgomery secured third in the B string
vault, and with the points of Krystal Galley in the 400, Jess Jones in the
800 and Abi Kingston in the 2000 steeplechase the Club finished a single
point clear of Swansea to secure the 4th place for the season.
The men also had a good day finishing in 3rd place in
the British Athletics League Division One match at Tooting Bec. This lifted
them from bottom of the eight team division up to fourth with one match to
go. However, another good performance is needed on the 9th of August at Lee
Valley to ensure the Club remain in the same division next season.
They had no individual A string winners but strong
performances across the events from a squad, which included first year
juniors Tom Desborough and Stefan Amokwandoh making their debuts and over
60s pole vaulter Allan Williams returning to the team after a four your
break.
Luke Smallwood’s electronic timing business takes up
much of his time during the Summer months but he was available for this
match and made the most of this opportunity by competing in the 400 hurdles,
400 metres and 4x400, finishing 4th and 3rd in the individual events and
running a 47.7 split in the relay. Sadly the electronics failed for his 400
race and he was given third place when many thought he had gained second.
Both athletes were hand timed at 47.9. This should not happen at this level
of the Sport but fortunately Luke was able to offer advice to the service
provider.
Dan Putnam had been set to concentrate on the 100 and
200 but an injury to Craig Morten in the 400 hurdles meant that he also ran
the B string 400, which starts less than half an hour before the 200. After
all this he still managed a 48.2 opening leg in the 4x400.
Alex Bruce Littlewood finished in second place in the
3000 metres steeplechase despite a fall in the water jump and he followed
this with third place in the A string 1500 with a blistering sprint finish.
Remarkably just two seconds covered the first nine finishers and one of
these was Under 20 Will Fuller who won the B string in a new best of
3.56.96. Pleasingly fellow juniors Will Ruiz and Tom Desborough also set
personal bests in the 800 and 3000 steeplechase respectively.
The 5000 metres was also a high standard with nine
athletes under 15 minutes and one of these was Graham Rush who ran a very
useful 14.53.32 on his Club debut.
In the field the Club secured near maximum points in
the long jump with Oliver Newport second in the A string with 7.26 and
Jermaine Olasan winning the B string with 7.20.
Jermaine also made a rare triple jump appearance
leaping 13.76 while in the A string Stefan Amokwandoh was 5th on his debut
with 14.26.
Tom Parker made a welcome return to the team to finish
second in the hammer with 52.49; Mike Van Den Dobbelsteen was 3rd in the
javelin with 50.66 and Louis Mascarenhas set a new best of 45.52 in the
discus.
Busiest man of the day was Alex Pope who competed in
six events contributing 26 of the Club’s 289.5 points.
One of the pleasing aspects of the achievements of
Dina, Cheriece and Shannon in Germany is that they all started competing for
the Club as under 13s. It seems appropriate, therefore, that while the three
were making an impression on the World stage, Dina’s Club under 13 metres
record was being equalled at the final Kent Young Athletes League match of
the season at Gillingham.
Tajera Baldie has been having a fine season already
but raised her game even more to win the under 13 girls 75 metres in 9.8.
Not only does it equal Dina’s Cub record, it is also the second fastest time
in the country this year. Not content with this she also won the shot with
9.24 metres which is the seventh furthest in the country this year. She also
scored maximum points in the long jump with a leap of 4.41.
Lily Tappenden won the 1000 metres walk.
For the boys Tom Mills made an impressive debut as his
winning throw of 9.52 in the shot propelled him to 13th in the National
rankings. Similarly his discus throw of 24.88 puts him 11th in the UK, a
remarkable start to an Athletics career.
On the track there were victories for Keir Lundy in
the 800 with a new best of 2.25.0 and for the 4x100 metres team of Robert
Suckling, Philip Tenyue, Leo McCallum and Nathan Unwin in 56.6. Caelan Raju
set a grade one standard of 13.0 in the 75 metre hurdles but such was the
quality of the opposition he had to settle for second place.
The success continued in the under 15s age group where
Harry Keene won the 2000 metres walk in a useful 13.05.3 and Harry Taylor,
George Robinson, Oscar Bailey and Rhys Unwin won the 4x100 in 50.2.
For the girls Carys Marsden won both the shot and
discus contests with throws of 8.87 and 27.05.
The under 13 boys won on the day while the under 15s
where third but both were first overall for the season. In the girls age
groups the under 13s won and the under 15s were 5th on the day, a clash with
the London Youth Games being the main reason for this.
It has been an excellent season for the youngsters
with countless personal bests set over the course of the four matches. They
deserve great credit as do all who have supported them, parents, coaches,
team managers, officials and supporters.
Under 15 boys Edward Adams and Henry James Cowie have
qualified for the England School's Pentathlon Finals in September. In the
South East regional round Edward came 4th with 2552 points, and Henry-James
was the highest placed Year 8 athlete coming 9th with 2358 points.
The youngsters of the past were in action at the
latest Kent Masters League match at Ashford, where the womens squad had an
outstanding evening winning by a large margin of 17 points.
They only dropped one point in the over 35s track
events with Carole Penlington and Andrea Pickup achieving maximum points in
the 3000 metres. Carole was also second in the 400 while in the B string
Helen Godsell moved down in age group, not only to win, but to break her own
Club over 60s record with a time of 72.4.
Jackie Montgomery was elated to find she has been
selected to represent the Southern Counties Veterans in the pole vault in an
Inter Area match. Already on a high, she equalled her outdoor best of 2.60
to win the vault. She also won the 2000 walk as well as scoring valuable
points in the triple jump and hammer.
The success continued in the over 50s with Rosie
Ferguson winning the 3000 metres and Helen Godsell won the race in the over
60s age group as well. Not only did she win, it was also a new Club Record
of 14.17.6 taking over a minute off the previous record.
Also in the over 60s Barbara Terry won the hammer with a throw of 21.92.
This spectacular set of performances means that there
are now three teams on 25 points with B&B heading the table on match points.
With only the top two able to qualify for the Area Final it has set up an
intriguing last match at Dartford on the 18th of July.
Sadly the men will not qualify as they finished 4th
equal at Ashford and are 4th in the table and six and a half points off
second place. Ritchie Leccia won the over 35s 3000 metres and Rob Brown was
also victorious on the over 60 s race.
Helen Godsell has been systematically revising the
Club over 60s records and prior to Ashford she took over four and half
minutes off the 10,000 metre record when she timed 52.23.1 in the Club
Championships at Norman Park. First woman on the night was Carole Penlington
who was second overall on the night in 38.35.9 just three seconds down on
champion Dave Beadle.
Steve Pairman was second male with Rob Brown third
while Zoe Kingsmell was third woman home.
The Club’s achievements and work in the community has
been recognised by Waitrose. Each month every branch donates £1,000 between
three local good causes. For the month of July Blackheath & Bromley will be
one of the chosen charities for the Bromley south branch. At the checkout,
shoppers receive a token to be placed in the Charity box of their choice.
The more tokens a cause gets, the bigger the donation they receive. If you
don't get a token at the checkout - just ask for one!
For all the latest park run results of Club members
visit the site at
http://www.parkrun.com/consolidatedclub/?clubNum=181&eventdate=2014-07-05
1/07/14
Dina Asher Smith has been selected to represent Great
Britain at the World Junior Championships in Oregon from the 22nd to 27th of
July. The Blackheath & Bromley athlete has been picked to compete in both
the 100 and 200 metres events in which she holds the World leads of 11.20
and 22.78.
She has also been chosen along with Cheriece and
Shannon Hylton to join a Great Britain party who have been invited to take
part in the Mannheim International in Germany. She goes in the 100, Shannon
in the 200 and Cheriece in the 400. It is a proud moment for their coach
John Blackie. The sisters may still go to the World Championships with the
final selections announced on the 8th of July.
Adam Gemili finished in second place in the 200 metres
at the British Championships in Birmingham. Second fastest Briton of all
time, he was beaten by Birchfield’s Danny Talbot as he timed 20.61. The
meeting incorporated the Trials for the European Championships which take
place in Zurich, Switzerland in August and while he was second in the Trial
the selection criteria states that he needs to run under 20.55 this year to
be chosen for the Championships. He has until the 13th of July to achieve
this. He already has the qualifying time for the 100 metres but so do nine
other athletes. The team will be announce on the 15th of July.
It was second also for second claimer Izzy Jeffs in
the javelin with a throw of 54.53. Serita Solomon took bronze in the 100
hurdles in 13.22 as did Chioma Matthews in the triple jump with a leap of
13.25.
Shaunagh Brown just missed out on the medals in the
shot as she finished 4th in 15.46. It was a similar story in the long jump
for Lorraine Ugen with a leap of 6.38.
Montell Douglas was 6th in the 100; Zara Asante 6th in
the triple jump; Rachel Dickens 7th in the 200; and Kieran Daly 8th in the
100.
British Trials results
100 w ht4 8. Grace Sheppard 12.32 ht5. 2. Montell Douglas 11.58 sf1. 4.
Montell Douglas 11.58. Final 6. Montell Douglas 11.48
100 m ht1 2. Tremayne Gilling 10.61 ht2 2. Kieran Daly 10.41 ht4 6. Dean
Hylton 10.84 ht5 6. Toby Olubi 11.02. SF1 5. Tremayne Gilling 10.48 SF3 4.
Kieran Daly 10.31. Final 8 Kieran Daly 10.45
200 w ht1 4. Rachel Dickens 24.63 Final. 7. Rachel Dickens 24.53.
200 m ht3. 1. Adam Gemili 20.71 Final 2. Adam Gemili 20.61
400 m ht4. 3. Dan Putnam 47.97 sf1 7. Dan Putnam 47.57
800 w ht1 7. Carolyn Plateau 2.06.51
100 hurdles w ht3 1. Serita Solomon 13.33 Final 3. Serita Solomon 13.22
400H w ht3 4. Megan Southwart 61.87
400H m ht3. 6. Luke Smallwood 53.16
3000 steeplechase 9. Alex Bruce Littlewood 9.08.88
LJ w 4. Lorraine Ugen 6.38
LJ m 12 Jermaine Olasan 6.86
TJ w 3. Chioma Matthews 13.25 6. Zara Asante 12.56 10. Kerri Davidson 12.22
SP w 4. Shaunagh Brown 15.46
DT w 10. Samantha Milner 42.06
JT w 2. Izzy Jeffs 54.53
HT w 10. Shaunagh Brown 56.09
Many of these athletes have reached Senior level via
the Club’s younger age groups and the next generation enjoyed an exciting
victory in the latest UK Youth Development League, Upper Age Group, Premier
Division One match at Eton. The Club’s under 20 and under 17 team emerged
victors by a single point after nearly eight hours of competition.
Obviously every athlete in every event played their
part in this but one who did more than most was Vivien Olatunji who won both
the A string 100 and 200 metre races in the under 20 age group in times of
12.16 and 25.27.
Further A string wins came from Jessica Keene in the
1500, Isabella Hilditch (400 hurdles), Toyin Orelaja (triple jump), Louis
Mascerenhas (discus) and the womens 4x100 metre quartet of Vivien, Isabella,
Elizabeth Ibidunni and Annie Davies.
The sprint success continued in the under 17s age
group as Jazz Crawford won the 200 metres with further wins for Dele Aladese
in the discus, Jamilya Robinson Pascal (long jump) and the womens 4x300
metres team of Shannon Riskey, Georgina Taylor, Mary Guy and Leah Everson.
The result leaves the Club in second place with the
same number of League points as top club Windsor. The two are five points
clear of third places Shaftesbury Barnet and are thus virtually guaranteed
in the National Final which takes place the first weekend in September.
Not so successful was the Club’s latest match in the
Southern Athletics League as the squad finished in 4th place in the fixture
at Southampton. This was despite victories on the track for Natalie Jones in
the 100 metres and Isabella Hilditch in the 400 hurdles and in the field
from Steve Timmins in the Hammer.
This means that after a bright start to the campaign
they now lie 7th in the 16 team division one with two matches remaining.
They are three points behind the leaders and three points off the bottom, so
there is everything to play for.
Highlight of the South East Counties Schools match at
Crawley was a new Under 15 girls Club Record in the hammer for Victoria
Wiltshire with a throw of 49.52. This leaves her fourth ranked in the
country this year and 11th on the all time list.
Further throws success came as Dele Aladese set a new
best of 43.63 to win the discus, with wins also for Kelsey Fuss (1500),
Bailey Sticking (400 hurdles), Joss Barber (1500 steeplechase), Toyin
Orelaja (triple jump) and Eloise Locke (javelin).
Edward Adams finished in 4th place in the English
Schools South East Combined events championships at Lee Valley. He scored an
impressive 2544 points with performances of 12.00 in the 80 hurdles, 11.25
shot, 5.47 long jump, 1.60 high jump, and 2.28.73 800. Henry James Cowie was
9th with 2358 points with 13.00 (80h),9.95 (SP) 4.85 (LJ) 1.45 (HJ) and
2.12.12 (800)
The Club’s Johnson Bowl race walk took place in Hayes
an event which has been staged in some form for some 110 years. It saw Shaun
Lightman finish second overall and become Club champion in a time of 38.59.
Peter Hannell was 5th in 40.47 and David Hoben 8th in 45.22.
Shaun and Peter were back in action at the Enfield
League 5km walk at Copthall finishing in 7th and 12th respectively in times
of 29.05.71 and 31.25.77.
