Francis earns golden hat-trick
ELENI Francis was Team Bath’s star performer at the Avon Track & Field Championships with a hat-trick of gold medals over the weekend.
The event had been postponed earlier in the season from its normal May date and county officials accepted an offer to stage it in conjunction with the Somerset Championships held over two days in Yeovil.
At this stage of the season, entries were inevitably down but that didn’t deter teenager Francis delivering some top sprinting and an outstanding long jump. Indeed, Francis added 11cms to her personal best with a leap of 5.60m to move her up to fourth in the South West Rankings.
It is the fourth time she has bettered her best this season having improved from 5.36m in 2020 to 5.39m in April, 5.49m in May, then 5.50 in June before her latest surge forward.
In addition, Francis claimed a sprint double winning the 100m in 13.02secs, despite slipping out of her blocks and then adding the 200m title in 26.15secs, which was just outside her best of 26.07secs.
Both sprints were into headwinds in contrast to the long jump where she enjoyed a legal following breeze.
Sprinter hurdler Charlie Staddon also had a good weekend, racing to a PB of 14.56secs to win the under-17 men’s 100m hurdles, lifting him to third in the South West Rankings and then adding the 400m hurdles title in 60.03secs.
Dominic Murray claimed a 100m/200m sprint double in the under-17s age group clocking legal electronic bests of 11.57seccs and 23.51secs placing him third and tenth respectively in the South West. He also added a silver in the high jump with 1.75m.
Joe Carter set a PB of 22.16secs to finish second in the under-20 men’s 200m but won the 100m in 11.08secs.
Ciara Galvin equalled her PB of 1.55m to win the under-15s high jump and added a silver in the long jump.
Yusuf Qazi was runner-up in the under-15s 800m, sister Anisah clocked an electronic PB to finish fourth in the 100m and dad Iman showed a fair turn of speed to win the senior men’s 100m.
In a lone solo run, Team Bath newcomer Niall Caley did well to record a time of 15mins 34.93secs to win the senior 5,000m.
ALICE Wilson opted for the Midland Counties Championships at Nuneaton and, after a lengthy lay-off, finished fourth in both the under-17s 80m hurdles (12.52secs) and the high jump (1.41m).
JOHN Howorth celebrated his debut for England at the Manchester International last week by finishing runner-up in the 1,500m.
“Winning my first international vest really tops off my season,” said 21-year-old Howorth.
Howorth (4:00.29) was just outsprinted by England U20 international Ethan Hussey (3:59.88). Bath University student Remi Adebiyi was third (4:00.50).
Representing the National Athletics League squad, Bath-based international Jenna Blundell won the 100m hurdles in 13.25secs.
ON the comeback trail following injury, Team Bath’s Elliott Avis finished 172nd in the Big Vitality halfmarathon
in London on Sunday, clocking a time of 1hr 17mins 50secs.
BOX-BASED ultra distance international and former Running Bath/ Chron athlete of the year Damian Hall arrived in the French Alps – by train – this week for the Ultra Trail du Montblanc.
“It is my favourite event and I am really looking forward to it,” said Hall.
Athletics coverage in the Chon is sponsored by Running Bath