Euro Stars
8:17pm Sunday 10th July 2011 in Athletics By Pat Calnan
Four Blackheath & Bromley members have been chosen to represent Great Britain at the European Junior Championships which take place at Tallinn in Estonia from the 21st to the 24th of July. Adam Gemili has been selected for the mens 100 metres and the 4x100 squad. Ben Hopkins and Megan Southwart have both been picked for the 400 hurdles and Yimika Adewakun is part of the womens 4x400 squad.
Adam and Megan competed as part of a Great Britain team at the Mannheim International in Germany and both enjoyed victories. Megan won the 400 hurdles in 59.90 a time which was again inside the qualifying time for the European Under 20 Championships. Adam won one of his two 100 metre races in 10.45 and was second in his other in an even quicker time of 10.41. Both times were well inside the Euro Qualifying standard of 10.60.
Also in Europe, Ed Harrison ran a fine new personal best of 51.43 in the 400 hurdles at the meeting at Namur in Belgium. At the Mondo Keien Meeting at Uden in the Netherlands, Ned Quiney cleared 5.10 in the pole vault Two more athletes from the Club have qualified for Internationals by winning their events in the Intermediate Girls age group at the English Schools Championships at Gateshead. Dina Asher Smith won the 200 metres in a sparkling 24.38, a new personal best. Rachel Dickens won the 300 metres in 38.52, the fastest time in the country this year. It not surprisingly broke the Club Record because it is the 8th fastest ever by a British under 17 athlete Three more gold medals came in the Senior age group. Yimika Adewakun won Girls 400 metres in 55.60. Pippa Woolven took the Girls 1500 metres steeplechase in 4.53.53 and Mark Longhurst continued his fine recent form in the pole vault winning with a clearance of 4.80.
Maya Bruney had an outstanding run in the Junior Girls 200 metres winning in 24.74, the fastest time in the country this year.
Silver medals in the Senior age group were won by Sarah Abrams in the long jump with a leap of 5.97, just 8 centimetres off the qualifying standard for the European Junior Championships; Krystal Galley in the 400 with an excellent new best of 56.00; and Joe Lawrence in the triple jump with a leap of 15.40 just 10 centimetres off the qualifying standard for the European Junior Championships. Silver too came for Yemisi Sofolarin in the Intermediate Girls discus with a throw of 34.05.
Emilie Blackwell won bronze in the Senior Girls pole vault with a clearance of 3.45 as did Craig Morten in the Senior 400 hurdles in a time of 55.19. Anton Daly was third in the Intermediate Boys 100 metres in 10.92 as was Shannon Hylton in the Junior Girls event in 12.53.
It is a great achievement for an athlete to be selected for these championships and plenty of athletes performed well despite not winning medals.
In the Senior age group Phil Sesemann timed 3.57.96 in his heat of the 1500 metres before finishing 11th in the final. Samantha Milner was 5th in the discus and Naomi Lee 6th in the pole vault with 3.25.
Aaron Lloyd reached the semi final of the 100 metre hurdles and Rhiannon Jones was 6th in her heat of the 80 metre hurdles Cheriece Hylton just missed out on a medal in the Intermediates age group as she finished fourth in the 400 metres in 25.57. Alex Wheelwright was 11th in the high jump; Bonnie Bratton 15th in the hammer; and Aine Hurlock 6th in her heat of the 75 metre hurdles.
The Clubs Seniors had mixed results in their respective National League Division One matches with the women finishing second in their UK Womens League match at Copthall and the men 7th in their British Athletics League match at Kingston. This means the women are second in the table, a promotion position, and the men are 7th , a relegation place. The women have one match remaining while the men have two.
Two athletes broke their own Club Records at Copthall. Serita Solomon timed 13.27 in the 100 metre hurdles, but had to settle for second place. Shaunagh Brown broke the discus record she set four years ago with a throw of 51.23. Despite these efforts they both had to settle for second place.
Shaunagh also won the shot and was second in the hammer. Lorraine Ugen was the other individual winner in the long jump with a leap of 6.13 and she was also second in the 100 metres in 11.81. She and Serita along with Grace Sheppard and Anike Shand Whittingham formed the winning 4x100 quartet.
Grace had earlier set a new best of 25.6 in the 200 metres and Anike won the B string 100. Elaine Murty had two good runs in the 800 and 1500 finishing in third place. Mel Kane in the 2000 steeplechase; Lauren Blackie in the triple jump; and Rachel Arnheim in the pole vault also achieved thirds. Sarah Abrams was second in the high jump having earlier won the B string long jump. Unfortunately her leap of 5.73 did not gain her the European Junior qualifying standard she had been seeking.
Other B string wins came courtesy of Sam Milner in the shot and discus; Liz Hughes in the pole vault and Rachel Blackie in the hammer.
Best results at Kingston came on the track with individual wins for Dan Putnam in the 200 in a new best of 21.54 and from Scott Overall in the 3000. Ed Harrison and Alex Bruce Littlewood were close to their bests in finishing second in the 400 hurdles and 3000 steeplechase while Mensah Elliott was third in the 110 hurdles.
Ed also won the B string 110 hurdles in a new best of 15.16 and further B string wins came from Pete Matthews in the 3000 in a best of 8.35.40 and Alex Gibbins in the 3000 steeplechase.
Unfortunately the team were very weak in a lot of the field events despite the heroics of Alex Pope and Lewis Ely plus a personal best of 3 metres from Murray Hilborne in the pole vault.
Murray was at Kingston fresh from having competed for the Masters team the previous evening in the Kent Masters League at Ashford. It proved to be a very successful night as the men finished joint first and now head the table. The women won their match and are now second just one point behind leaders Dartford. Both should are well on course for a place in the Southern Area Final.
Murray won the over 35s pole vault in what was then a new best of 2.80, while other wins came from Steve Timmins in the over 35s hammer and from Ken Daniel in the over 60s 3000 metres.
In the over 35s age group in the womens match the Club achieved maximum points on the track with double wins from Maureen Miller and Shirley Rowbotham in the 400 and Jennie Butler and Rosie Ferguson in the 3000 metres, while Jackie Montgomery won the 2000 walk.
This track dominance was nearly replicated in the over 50s age group where Helen Godsell won both the 400 and 3000 metres with team manager Anne Cilia second in the 2000 walk. Helen also won the triple jump.
More success came in the latest Kent Young Athletes League match at Canterbury. The under 15 and under 13 boys both won, so winning overall. The under 13 girls also won and although the under 15s had to settle for third, the girls too won the overall match.
Gabriel Ibitoye won both the 200 and shot in the under 15 boys age group and there was a double win also from new member Billy Blackham with victories in the discus and javelin. More success came in the throws for the girls with a win in the shot for Brooke Hollett.
Most pleasing perhaps was the quality of the performances in the under 13s age group. In the girls field events the Club had a clean sweep of victories in the A strings. Jamiyla Robinson-Pascal soared over 1.44 in the high jump, a National Grade One performance. She would have won the long jump with a leap of 4.40 but she was pipped to A string victory by Magda Cienciala who leapt one centimetre further. Greeta Wedderburn enjoyed victories in the discus and javelin and also the B string shot. Impressive A string winner in the shot was Akina Gondwe-Onobrauche who threw 9.38, a National Grade One Performance.
For the boys Danny Eversley won both the 75 metre hurdles and high jump and then teamed up with Ryan Poyroo, James Low and Jordan Thomas for victory in the 4x100 metres. Jordan had earlier won the long jump. Remi Ullah won the 800 metres. Roger Michell was part of the Surrey Walking Club team who won first place in the RWA National Championships which were incorporated in the Surrey Walking Club open 100 mile race at Lingfield, with part of the course using the road inside the roadway inside the grass horse race track of the racecourse. Roger completed the course in 21 hours 36 minutes and 17 seconds.
Ben Cockburn was the Club’s first finisher in the Orpington 10km. He was third on the multi terrain course in 37.42. Will Mercer was 13th and David Beadle 26th with Graham Coates the first over 60 to finish in 43.35 Steve Pairman led home the B&B contingent at the Bromley 5km Parkrun at Norman Park. He was 13th with Gerald Sterling 14th and Adrian Stocks 33rd. Katie Murray was first woman from the Club in 57th. At the Lloyd Park event Dan Hassett was 11th and Ella Fisher 14th. Helen Godsell was 67th at the Riddlesdown event, the day after her exploits in the Kent Masters League, and Martin Lundie was 45th at Greenwich.
Glen Turner finished in 8th place in the Bewl Water 15 in a time of 1.35.18 with Ian Montgomery 104th in 1.55.48.
There is a special feature on the Club in the August edition of Running And Fitness Magazine which is now available in all good newsagents. Blackheath & Bromley caters for all ages, abilities and disciplines. For further information on your particular interest please e-mail enquiries@bandbhac.org.uk Alternatively leave details on the Club answer phone service on 020 8462 3115.
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