Duo end their season in style
DYLAN Stoneman and Dominic Murray delivered a grandstand finish to their summer season in the finals of the UK Young Athletes U20/17 League at Manchester’s Sportcity Stadium.
Tackling two events each on Sunday, the Team Bath AC pair delivered maximum points for Team Avon, also comprising athletes from Bristol & West AC, Mendip AC and Yate & District AC, to help secure a superb second place in the competition behind powerful Blackheath & Bromley.
“It was our best result ever in the competition, beating our third place back in 2019,” said team manager Sandra Woodman. “The athletes really inspired each other.
“The Team Avon concept for the under 20 and under 17 athletes has helped to keep that age group in the sport and we can see more of them now coming through into the senior ranks.”
Stoneman certainly exemplified that spirit as he rushed straight from Loughborough, where he ran the 1500m steeplechase at the UK School Games the previous day, finishing sixth, to race that event again plus the flat U17s 3000m B race.
“Saturday was not what I wanted to end the season on, but I was quite tired, so I can’t be overly disappointed,” said Stoneman.
“On Sunday I ran the 3000m first and while my legs were tired I finished fourth overall and first B runner. Then three hours later I did the steeplechase and won by over 100 metres. It wasn’t that quick but it was nice to end my season with a win. And for Team Avon to finish second was brilliant.”
Murray, being watched by coach Di Viles, who was officiating for Team Avon, also claimed two golds for maximum points with victories in the U20s high jump A, with 1.85m, and the triple jump, with 11.88m.
Two other high jumpers from Viles’ coaching group were in action, with Alannah Heneghan finishing runnerup in the U17 women’s high jump with 1.45m and Tom Blackburn claiming third place in the U17s high jump with 1.75m.
Also from Team Bath, Ciara Galpin just missed out on bronze by five centimetres in the U17s triple jump but produced a personal best of 10.32m. Later she was part of the 4x100 relay team that won silver.
Jake Cover won the U20s 110m hurdles in 14.4secs and Charlie Staddon was runner-up in the U17s 400m hurdles in 57.49secs.
Promising young sprinter Ashley Avis, who is coached by Colin Baross, finished third in the U17s 200m in 23.57secs, which is an electronic PB. Joe Markey also ran well in the U17s 800m, clocking 2:07.16.
THERE was a strong Team Bath AC presence at the ‘Tash 10k,’ held in memory of Natasha Lewis at the traffic-free Odd Down cycle track.
Team Bath’s Alex Stainthorpe, whose last full season was ten years ago, was a popular winner of the women’s race as she finished 13th overall in 40mins 49secs.
Dan Jones was denied a Team Bath double by strong Bristol & West AC runner Adam Stokes, who was the only man to break 34 minutes.
THE Team Bath AC pair of Dan Soltys and Simon Brace represented
Great Britain at the World Duathlon Championships in Switzerland.
Soltys finished a creditable ninth in the top elite/professional section and Brace finished third in the veterans’ over 45s age group.
RACING at the British Milers Club regional meeting at the Exeter Arena, Team Bath AC teenager Harry Maxwell ran a PB of 4:11.09 to place eighth in the 1500m B race. It was his first 1500m of the season.
The time lifts him to seventh in the South West rankings, just ahead of his Team Bath clubmate Dylan Stoneman (4:12.73).
In the mixed B race, twin Joshua Maxwell was also in PB form, clocking 4:27.87 to carve nine seconds off his previous best.
Younger sister Sophie Maxwell, still in the under 13s age group, ran 5:12.27 for seventh in the D mixed race.
The athletics coverage in the Chron is sponsored by Running Bath