Schools silver for young duo
SILVER medals for Justin Davies and Isobel Cotterill were the stand-out performances for local athletes at the English Schools’ Track & Field Championships.
In a perfect symmetry, 18-year-old KES student Davies marked his final appearance at the event with his silver in the senior boys’ 1,500m while on her debut 14-year-old Hayesfield School pupil Cotterill was runner-up in the junior girls’ 1,500m.
“I am really happy to end my schools’ athletics on a high,” said Davies, who lives in Bathampton.
“It is all a bit surreal really. I was hoping for a medal but never really expected it. It is a dream come true really.”
It was only Davies’ second appearance at the championships – the socalled ‘Kids’ Olympics’ – having finished seventh in 2019 but hopefully Cotterill’s silver on her debut in the junior girls’ age group will be the first of many.
“She has been with me for two or three years now and while her times in training suggested she was capable of something like that it was still a big surprise,” said Mark Thomas, who is Cotterill’s coach at Team Bath AC.
Having not raced last summer, Cotterill burst onto the scene with her time of 4mins 34.8secs last month, which was not only a new Avon League record but also broke Loren Bleaken’s club under-15 girls’ record.
It wasn’t a one-off either as Cotterill sliced another second off that with 4:33.20 in Manchester to put her second in the UK Rankings for under-15 girls.
“Isobel plays Sunday League football as well but has said that she will do that for another year and then concentrate upon athletics,” added Thomas.
Elsewhere Charlie Staddon broke 60 seconds for the first time in the heats of the inter boys’ 400m hurdles and Jake Cover claimed a PB of 14.47secs in the heats of the seniors 110m hurdles.
Meanwhile in Bergen, Norway, Bradford on Avon international athlete Jenna Blundell reached the semifinals of the 100m hurdles at the European Under-23 Championships.
The former Running Bath/chron competition winner clocked 13.43secs to finish second in her heat but in the semi finals could only manage 13.67secs into a strong head wind to place fourth so failed to make the final.
■ CHIPPENHAM Harriers’ Rohan Archer raced to an emphatic victory in the Hazelbury Hurrah 10k trail race organised by Corsham Running Club, clocking a time of 36mins 6secs to finish over a minute clear of Team Bath’s Jamie Dale.
Also in the top ten were Team Bath’s Guy Landon (fourth and first veteran, 38:16), Michael Turner (sixth, 38:53) while Niall Urquhart was 18th and first veteran over-50 in 44:06. That ensured Team Bath were second in the men’s team event.
Cath Dale was fifth woman and first veteran over-50
■ TEAM Bath’s Justin Maelzer finished 91st out of 352 starts in the Isle of Wight Challenge, completing the 6k race around the island using the coastal paths in 20hrs 46mins 07secs.
■ HEATHER Fell and Ewelina Wojtala competed in the Race to the Stones ultra event and both completed the 100k event in under 12 hours.
■ The athletics coverage in the Chron is sponsored by Running Bath