Sophie hits the heights
ATHLETICS SOPHIE Dowson was delighted to earn the senior pole vault bronze medal at the English schools championships at Birmingham.
Dowson, 18, cleared 3.70m, matching the height that won her the silver medal in last year’s event. It was a fourth successive appearance in the championships for the Blackheath & Bromley Harrier.
She said : “It was a very long competition and I was really happy to earn my medal. My technique was holding up well. But as I have gained in strength this year, I now need to transition to a pole specified for a more powerful vaulter. The prospect is quite exciting.”
Adam Firsht, 14, placed seventh in his heat of the Junior 800m in 2:06.03.
“I was very happy with my performance. The heat and humidity meant that none of the competitors set a personal best,” said Firsht.
“This was my first experience of a major competition. It was amazing to compete in front of a big crowd in one of the largest youth competitions in the world.”
Gilad Nachshen, 13, took victory in the U15 800m in the Eastern Young Athletes League at Peterborough, recording 2:08.4. The Shaftesbury Barnet Harrier also honed his sprint speed by contesting the 200m in 25.6 and 300m in 39.5.
Emma Taylor, 16, also tackled three events at the meeting, earning multiple points for Shaftesbury Barnet in the shot (8.29m), hammer (23.13m) and javelin (28.48m). Bini Bloom, 13, set a personal best of 4:37.1 in the U15 1500m, while Matti Harris, also 13, recorded 4:47.6. Maayan Radus, 13, placed second in the girls’ U15 1500m in 5:05.8.
Hannah Viner, 20, set a 1500m personal best of 4:24.57 in the British Milers Club Grand Prix at Loughborough, to move to 16th in the national U23 rankings.
London Heathside youngster Jack Davis-Black, 12, set a 1500m PB of 5:13.34 for victory in the Middlesex Young Athletes League at Parliament Hill.
Anna Barnett, 18, set a personal best of 8.67m with the full weight (4kg) shot in the Southern Athletics League at Crawley.
IN BRIEF Eden Davis, 18, has been selected as a member of the GB 4x100m relay squad for the European Under- 20 championships next week in Grosseto, Italy. Davis, who won bronze medals in the last two English Schools championships, is currently competing in the 20th Maccabiah in Israel.