England National Track & Field Championships – Bedford 25/26th August

What a year for U17 Charlotte Williams! Started off thinking that she wouldn’t be able to compete in 2018 after undergoing surgery on her Meniscus and ACL – yet here she is, in only her fourth event of the year, throwing a seasons best distance of 57.41m  to take 3rd place and the Bronze Medal at the National Championships. A delighted Charlie told the Club after receiving her Medal To win a bronze medal at the National Championships when I got told I wouldn’t even be back throwing until November was a great surprise and the best way to end my season. Thankyou to everyone in the club for the constant support”.

RESULTS

After qualifying and competing at English Schools this year and achieving a National Standard, Myah Booth ran in the 75m Hurdles which featured three Heats. Myah was in Heat (3) and came home 3rd in 11.90 making her 9th overall in the three Heats, just missing out on the Final by one place. She had also entered the Shot Putt placing 10th in the Final with a distance of 10.21m.

U15 Nicky Saunders was also competing at the National Championships in the Discus, the day after competing in the Mid Lancs League Medal Meeting in Blackpool. At the National Championships Nicky finished 8th in the Final with a distance of 27.55m.

British Masters Championships – 25th & 26th August

V50 Tony Balko has been targeing the British and World Masters Championship this year and the first Leg of that double took place over the weekend in Birmingham. In the Discus Final Tony threw a little under his personal and seasons best (36.55m) to finish in 4th place.

Despite the terrible weather conditions for throwing, Tony came away with two Bronze Medals which sets him up nicely for the World Masters Championships being held in Spain in September. Tony’s Bronze Medals came in the Hammer (6kg) with 3rd place distances of 38.87m and in the Shot Putt (6kg) 10.35m. He also added two 4th place finishes in the Discus (1.5kg) with a throw of 36.55m and also 4th in the 11.34kg Weight (12.11m).

PARTIAL RESULTS

Mid Lancs Medal Meeting – Blackpool Saturday August 25th

Another Mid Lancs Track & Field season came to an end on a warm but windy day in Blackpool with athletes from affiliated Clubs competing for Medals and among them – thirty two from Blackburn Harriers who set fourteen new personal bests and fourteen wins.

(L-R Medal Winners – Kyle Taylor-Pomfret – Dexta Thompson – Matt heywood – David Holden – Isaac Butler)

RESULTS

Anthony Kent (U20) is finishing the season in style with a new PB in the Senior Men’s Hammer (7.26kg) of 42.82m, over 3 metres further than he has thrown this season. He backed that up with a 2nd place in the Discus with 30.78m and 3rd in the Shot Putt (10.84m). Similarly in the Senior Women’s Throws events where Anna Peers has wracked up a whole number of wins in this years Northern League and taking a win and two seconds places today – throwing 35.53m to win the Discus, 9.40m in 2nd spot in the Shot Putt, rounding off the day with a throw of 35.92m in the Javelin for 2nd place. U17 Abigail Brown took on three throws events too, placing 6th in the Shot Putt (6.79m), 3rd in the Discus (21.85m) and 4th in the Hammer with a throw of 30.83m. U17 Millie Coy was looking to Medal in the Javelin and placed 5th with a throw of 29.58m.

U15 Matt Heywood is another young athlete who has had a very good season in Throws events as evidenced by his performance here. In winning the Hammer with a throw of 41.69m he showed how far he has progressed from his first ever Hammer throw of 23.33m just 12 months ago. He came 3rd in the Shot Putt with 8.79m and won the Discus with a new PB distance of 31.49m – an improvement by over two metres. George Whittaker and Kyle Taylor-Pomfret were also contesting the Throws with George coming home 4th in the U15 Boys Discus (26.30m) and Kyle 2nd in the Hammer with 24.51m and just outside his personal best. U13 Dexta Thompson had a go at the Throws events placing 2nd in the Javelin with 23.68m – just 7 cms off his best and 3rd in the Discus with his second ever attempt at the event (13.22m).

U15 Grace Bontoft is in her first competitive season in Throws and took on Shot Putt, Discus and Hammer recording 6.52m in the Shot Putt (5th), 15.18m in the Discus (6th) and 25.88m in the Hammer placing 4th. Nicky Saunders continued her good season by winning the U15 Girls Discus (28.89m) and a new PB by just 3cms, won the Hammer with a throw of 34.77m – a massive new PB by over 3 metres and finished 5th in the Javelin with 23.68m. Madison Bontoft (U13) and also in her first competitive season in Throws nearly doubled the distance she has thrown in the Shot Putt as she reached a distance of 6.50m for a massive new PB, and set another new PB in the Javelin by a metre, throwing 12.19m in 9th position. Caroline Woodworth took on the U13 Girls Discus, placing 6th with 16.67m and 5th in the Javelin with a throw of 17.75m.

U17’s Solomon Brown and Benjamin Whittaker were in action in the Sprints which saw Benjamin finish 3rd in Heat (2) of the 100m in 12.10 a new PB by two tenths and 6th in the 200m Heat (1) clocking 24.90 – Solomon came home in 5th in Heat (1) of the 200m posting a time of 24.40, a new PB by nearly a second. U15 Ben Boocock ran his first ever 100m race clocking a time of 13.50 in 8th place whilst George Whittaker ran 26.80 in the 200m for a new PB by two tenths. U13 Tobi Olidapo has made a very big impression in his first season sprinting for the Club and ran well again today to record a time of 13.00 in 3rd place in Heat (1) of the 100m.

The entries in the Senior Women’s Sprints were sparse to say the least with just two athletes in the 100m and 200m – Chloe Bleeks won both races comfortabley running 13.50 in the 100m and 28.10 in the 200m. U17 Millie Coy knocked two tenths of her previous best time to set a new PB of 13.10 as she won Heat (1) of the 100m, going on to come a very, very close 2nd in the 200m with 27.10 – the same time as given to the winner.

U17 Ben Branton is his first season as a Long Jumper and showing real promise, has only had five competitions leading up to the this years Medal Meeting. He kicked off his season with a jump of 5.11 and yesterday he leapt out to 5.75m for a new PB in 3rd place. 800m runner – U15 Hayden Mercer – has jumped just once ever in the Long Jump (3.92m) and today in only his second ever attempt leapt out to a new PB of 4.69m (5th). U13 Tobi Olidapo was one of twelve athletes in the U13 Boys Long Jump where he placed 6th with a leap of 4.21m. It’s great when young athletes take on a new event and it comes off as it did for U13 Daniel Smith clearing 1.30m in the High Jump (4th) with Dexta Thompson in equal 6th place. (1.10m). Chloe Bleeks added a 2nd placed jump of 4.24m to her two wins in the Sprints events as U13 Kady Thompson cleared 1.15m in the High Jump to equal her personal best.

Another athlete trying an event for the first time was U15 Hayden Mercer who took on the 400m winning in a time of 57.30, a time which suggest a revision of his 800 personal best. The windy conditions meant that personal bests would be at a premium in the middle distance events with a strong win going down the back straight. Sam Hodkinson ran 4.39.60 for 2nd spot in the U17 Men’s 1500m. In the U15 Boys 800m George Whittaker tried to lead from the front and paid the price a little as he finished in 2nd place with 2.24.90. The U13 and U15 Boys ran together in the 1500m which resulted in a 1/2 for the Harriers in the U15 Boys – Kyle Taylor-Pomfret 1st in 4.54.20 and David Holman 2nd in 4.57.60 and a win for Isaac Butler in the U13 race as clocked 5.01.90 with Daniel Smith chopping five seconds off his best time to set a new personal best of 5.20.20 in 3rd place. In the U15 Girls 800m which only had two athletes competing, Leah Hoole placed 2nd in 2.37.20 and Kady Thompson ran 3.07 in the U13 Girls 800m.

U13 Boys Ben Livesey, Codie Dewhurst and Umair Rafiq ran the 800m with Ben clocking a new PB of 2.39.50 in 4th place, Codie in 5th (2.40.70) and Umair running 2.45.70 in 7th. Amy Davies was the only runner unfortunately in the U17 Girls 1500m (5.07.00) as the Senior Women and U15 Girls all ran together – Hollie Cubbon snatched a win with a determined finish in the U15 Girls race on the line in 5.35.10 and in the U13 Girls 1500m Molly Grinshaw placed 5th in a time of 6.01.40 in her first race since June of this year.

Three endurance runners and a sprinter – Codie DewhurstDexta ThompsonIsaac Butler Tobi Olidapo – made up the Harriers 4 x 100m Relay Team as they clocked 59.10 in second place to Blackpool.  Before the Relays Codie Dewhurst and Daniel Smith ran the U13 Boys 75m Hurdles placing 2nd (16.70) and 3rd (17.20) respectively and Ben Boocock ran 13.00 in the U15 Boys 80m Hurdles. Lucy Ramsden ran 12.80 for 3rd position in the U13 Girls 70m Hurdles which equaled her personal best run at this years County Championships.

(L-R   Dexta Thompson – Tobi Olidapo – Isaac Butler – Codie Dewhurst)

Watford Open Graded Meeting – Wednesday 22nd August

Jes Judd had a tough evening at this meeting taking on the 1500m and 3000m with an hour of each other. Jess ran both races in an all male field clocking 4.14.04 in the 1500m followed by the 3000m in which she ran a time of 9.09.90.

RESULTS

Malham Fell Races – Saturday August 25th

A good run for Tom Marchant at Malham on Saturday which saw him come home in 4th place with a time of 20.26 just one second behind 3rd placed Rob Carr in 20.25.

RESULTS

Speaking to the Harriers afterwards, Tom commented The race was fast, short and steep testing the speed and strength endurance. Conditions were perfect, dry with a slight breeze, not too warm. I had a good start and was 3rd going up then started to drop back to 8th but after a tough climb I managed to gain positions on a fast downhill, overall my race went really well and I’m pleased with my performance”