The English Schools Championships at Gateshead proved a highly successful weekend for the Blackheath & Bromley’s athletes with six individual golds, four silver, two bronze, a Championship best and four Club records. On the back of their performances in the North East five Intermediate athletes have been selected International representation.

In the Senior age group Kerri Davidson retained her triple jump title with a wind assisted personal best of 12.77, a new Club Record. Having broken the Club’s under 20 3000 metre record last week Will Fuller was in confident mood going into the Championships and he ran a mature race to claim his first English Schools title in 8.28.05.

Middle distance gold medal success continued in the Intermediate age group where a stunning performance from Yasmin Austridge saw her smash the Championship Best for the 1500 metres steeplechase winning in a time of 4.54.82. It also took over six seconds off the Club under 17 record and also broke the under 20 best as well. It is the fastest in the country this year, a nice early birthday present for her coach Mick Jones.

There was a Club record also for Jessica Keene as she took gold in the 3000 metres in 9.41.35. This is the second fastest time in country this year by an under 17.

Divine Oladipo was a class apart in the shot retaining her title with a distance of 14.52 over metre clear of the runner up. Second claim member Charmont Webster-Tape was involved in one of the closest races of the weekend as she won the 100 metres in 11.84 just one hundredth of a second ahead of the runner up with third place timing 11.88.

The reward for Yasmin, Jessica, Divine, Charmont and long jump second placer Holly Mills is selection to compete this weekend at Grangemouth in Scotland. Here they will represent England in the Home Countries Schools International.

This event is for the Intermediate age group only so athletes such as Jazz Crawford who was second in the 200 metres in the Senior age group do not qualify. She was just three hundredths of a second off gold with 24.29 a personal best. However she and Vivien Olatunji did win gold in the 4x100, Vivien having had to settle for fourth in the 100 metres timing a new best of 12.03 the same as the third placed athlete.

Magda Cienciala and Parris Johnson won team silvers in the 4x100 after reaching the semi finals of the 200 metres.

James Lancaster set a new personal best of 54.95 to take silver in the Junior Boys Hammer while for the girls Eloise Locke was second in the shot with a throw of 13.02.

Katy Ann McDonald took bronze in the Intermediate Girls 800 in 2.08.26 and it was third too for Eve Keith in the Junior Girls discus with a distance of 34.13.

In the Senior age group Scott Barker set a best of 48.39 as he finished in 5th place in the 400 with Shaun Cooke timing 48.81 in the heat. Richard Webb took 7th in the 2000 metres steeplechase and Leah Everson timed 67.56 in the heats of the 400 hurdles.

Isabella Hilditch was another to just miss out on a medal. She was just one hundredth of a second off third place in the Intermediate Girls 300 hurdles timing 44.38 despite clipping the last hurdle. More hurdles success came with Joss Barber 5th in the 1500 steeplechase in 4.29.77 and Anastasia Davies 6th in the 80 metre hurdles with 11.62 having set a new best of 11.42 in the heat.

Elsewhere Dele Aladese was 12th in the discus and Jamilya Robinson Pascal (long jump), Toyin Orelaja (triple jump) and Victoria Wiltshire (hammer) all finished in 15th place. Adeyinka Adeniran made the semi finals of the 100 metre hurdles.

The Club were well represented in the Junior middle distance events with Henry James Cowie, Angus Harrington and Coleman Corry all featuring in the heats of the 800 and Yasmin Marghini in the 1500.

Just to be selected for this event is an achievement and there can be few clubs in the country who had this number of athletes in action.

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