Sprint success Harriers take 13 county crowns
CHELTENHAM Harriers took another 13 titles on day two of the Gloucestershire County Championships, making a total of 49 golds across the event, and 66 podium finishes.
Sprinters Sam Howell, Oliver Belbeck and Jessica Duncton made it double successes with victory over the 100m and 200m – all in PBS.
Howell won the men’s Under-20 races in 11.1 and 22.5, making it a clean sweep of the sprint events, as he added the 100m and 200m golds to his 400m gold from last weekend.
Belbeck added the Under-15 100m (12.9) and 200m (26.8) titles to his 300m and triple jump golds won last week, also taking second in the Under15 long jump with a PB of 4.79m.
After equalling the Under-17 women’s hurdles club record last weekend, all eyes were on what Jessica Duncton could produce over the flat, and she did not disappoint, flying to victory in the Under-17 100m in 12.5 and the 200m in 25.3.
Fellow Under-17s Florence Turfrey and Lydia Baldwin finished in seventh and eighth respectively in the 100m, with times of 13.8 and 14.0 PB). In the 200m, Ruby Brook added to her 300m gold from last week with a silver and PB of 26.4 and Lulu Skurek also ran a PB of 28.5 for fifth.
In the Under-13 100m, Benjamin Parker finished third in a time of 14.5 and Robin Nishimura ran a PB of 15.7 for seventh and in the female equivalent, it was PBS all round – Megan Amey finished fourth in 14.2, Izzy Cook was seventh in 14.4 and Zara Collins was 10th in 15.0.
Cook and Collins also ran bests in the 200m, with 31.1 and 31.4 for fifth and seventh respectively.
Under-15 Elinor Farrier was third in the 100m in 13.4 and second in the 200m in 27.9, both PBS.
The 100m was a very close race with Annabelle Wigan finishing 0.5s behind in fifth (13.9) and Flora Hopcraft seventh with a PB of 14.5. Wigan also competed in the 200m, finishing fourth in a PB of 29.3, followed in by Florence Hampton in a PB 29.3.
In the Under-20 100m, Grace Pitman made a return to competition finishing second in a PB of 12.7 and in her first 100m race Cicely Courtenay Moore competed in the senior women’s event, finishing second in 15.1.
Under-17 Isaac Henderson ran an impressive 4:24.1 in the 1,500m to finish not only as first in his age, but fastest athlete overall on the day, matching his performance in the 3,000m a week before.
Kiya Dee also made it a distance double, adding 1,500m gold to her 3,000m gold in a season’s best 4:41.4 with Ciara Thornley (4:47.5) third while Molly Dibden and Freya Howell were eighth and ninth in 5:31.7 and 5:38.3.
Under-15 Georgia Howell ran an impressive debut 1,500m, coming third with a PB of 5:07.5. Isobel Watt (5:28.1 PB), Ellis Woolley (5:28.3), Milly Foster (5:34.4) and Abigail Thornley (5:40.5) finished seventh, eighth, ninth and 12th.
In the Under-15 boys, Sam Wilson was fourth in 5:00.3, followed in by Felix Lindner in 5:21.8. Olivia Avery ran well to finish third in the Under-13 race with a PB of 5:44.7, with Evie Avery running a PB, 6:08.4, for fifth. Vet 60 athlete Kathryn Morton ran 6:24.8 for gold in her first outdoor track race since 2018.
The Under-11s took on the 80m and 600m, and in the 80m it was gold for Noah Seabright in 12.3. Joseph Rackowe and Jack Holmes finished fourth and ninth respectively in 12.5 and 13.6.
A Harrier took victory in the 600m –
Leo Nellis in 2:00.7 with Holmes (2:08.5), Seabright (2:15.8) and Rackowe (2:15.9) fourth, fifth and sixth.
Lottie Cook was third in the 80m in 12.3, ahead of Sophie Gaskell with 12.8 in fourth, Verity Gaskin (12.9) fifth, Heidi Woolley (13.3) sixth, Abi Hickey (13.5) seventh and Jessica George (14.2) eighth.
Over 600m, Heidi Woolley was second in a PB of 2:08.9, followed by Gaskin, 2:16.7 for bronze, and Jessica George, 2:17.0, fourth.
In the long jump, Seabright picked up his second medal of the day with a jump of 3.35m for bronze. In the girls event, Hickey jumped 2.95m for fourth and Gaskell 2.62m to edge out Heidi Woolley by 1cm for fifth and sixth.
Sulaiman Ouiles won the Under-17 men’s high jump and pole vault with jumps of 1.65m and 3.20m respectively. The winning jump was equalled by a PB from Bexley Turbard, but due to failures earlier in the competition he took silver.
The Under-15 girls high jump was won by Esme Rolfe with a PB of 1.25m, and in the long jump, she had another best of 3.30m for eighth.
Elinor Farrier (4.27m), Isobel Burfitt (4.07m) and Kitty Ellis (3.68m) all jumped PBS for fourth, fifth and sixth.
Celia Darwent was second in the Under-17 high jump with 1.45m, Megan Amey won the Under-13 long jump with a PB of 4.11m and took silver in the high jump (1.10m). Zara Collins was fourth in the Under-13 long jump with a PB of 3.77m. In the boys event, Edward Andrews-flint jumped 3.74m for fourth and Robin Nishimura jumped 2.97m for a PB and fifth.
Ruth Bird won the V55 discus in a new club record of 23.10m, the previous record having stood since 1991.
Further discus success came from Linsey Hutchins (V45) with 18.13m and Ben Wade, competing for the first time since 2019, in the senior men with a PB of 38.58m.
Andrew Walker took bronze in the Under-20 competition with 35.96m and Billy Buxton was second in the men’s Under-17 event with 32.02m. The Under-17 women’s discus saw Anya Bolton take bronze with 20.98m and Maia Bliss fourth with a PB of 19.10m.
Hutchins made it double gold with first in the javelin with 20.40m, Mimi Davis was third in the Under-17 event with 35.42m and Under-15 Kate Mills threw a PB of 18.41m for second.