News

Success continues at Commonwealth Youth Games

It was another successful day for the England team at the Commonwealth Youth Games in the Bahamas, with a bronze medal and a number of athletes through to finals as many of the track events saw qualifying rounds.

Amber Anning (Brighton & Hove, Steve King) recorded a new personal best and went below 54 seconds for the first time as her 53.68 claimed the bronze medal in the 400m. The race saw the first two, both Australians, clocking sub 53 with 52.69 for Bendere Oboya and 52.72 for Ella Connolly. Amber put her success medal winning success down to a switch in tactics from her heats earlier in the evening. “The race went well in the final. It was a really difference set of tactics to the heats earlier on because I went off too fast in those and I was too tired coming to the end but this time I conserved a bit more energy, didn’t go off as fast and that meant that I had much more to give in the end. I think that change is the reason I got my bronze medal. I was strong and I finished the race how I wanted to.”

Emma Alderson (Liverpool Harriers & AC, Steve Carroll) came sixth in the 400m final with 54.90.

Pippa Earley (Kingston & Poly, John Shepherd/ Lloyd Cowan) won her heat of the 100m hurdles to go through to the final as second fastest qualifier with 13.73.

Georgina Adam (Lincoln Wellington, Denise Timmis) clocked 24.51 to win Heat 4 of the 200m and go through to the Semi Finals as second fastest qualifier. Chad Miller (Hercules Wimbledon, Paul Miller) also advanced to the Semi Finals after coming in second in Heat 4 with a 21.76 and automatic qualifying position.

Joshua Faulds (Rugby & Northampton, James Wright) and Seamus Derbyshire (City of Stoke, Derek Yeomans) both performed well in the 400m hurdles heats to qualify for their final on Sunday evening. Joshua was third in the second heat, an automatica qualifying slot, with 53.13 after Seamus had clocked a new PB over the U18 hurdles of 52.25 to take second in the first of the heats.

Joshua Allen (Middlesbrough (Mandale), Martin Peevor) and Alex Botterill (City of York, Andrew Henderson) did what was needed in their 800m heats to qualify for the final. Alex was just ahead of Australia's Jackson Sharp in winning Heat 1 in 1:54.76.

With three to qualify automatically Joshua was the third of three athletes who had a gap at the end of Heat 2, as he ran a 1:56.60 to be over a second and a half clear of fourth place as the first three all clocked times of 1:56.

Isabelle Boffey (Enfield & Haringey, Douglas Stone) was the third of the three automatic qualifiers in her 800m heat. There was less than a second between first and fifth in Heat 1 as she came home in 2:12.86 to secure her place in the final. Anna Burt (Team Bath, Kevin Brunt) was in a heat that was almost as tight but she was the winner in Heat 2 in 2:10.37 as the first five from her race all qualified.

As well as those to have qualified for tonight's finals a number of other England athletes will be joining the fray this evening. Emma Howe (West Cheshire, Dave McKay) will be aiming high in the javelin tonight. Jack Sumners (Stratford-upon-Avon, Paul Bearman) and Sam Bennett (Basildon AC, Steve Surety) will line up in the 110m hurdles final. Claudia Lance-Jones (Guildford & Godalming, Sue Goode) races in the 3000m.

Click here for all results from the Commonwealth Youth Games - Bahamas 2017

More pictures are available at England Athletics' Instagram