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Sweet success for athletes at Sheffield

There were impressive performances at the first day of the England Athletics Indoor Under 15, 17 and 20 Championships, including a new national record in the pole vault.

Jade Spencer-Smith (Club: Harrow AC, Coach: Ellie Spain) first broke the Championship Best Performance in the Under 15 Girls Pole Vault (previously 3.42) before raising the bar further and going on to set a new UK indoor record with 3.61. Her performance added 11cm to her previous best of 3.50.

As has often been the case, the 60m sprints provided some great performances and great battles. Imani Lansiquot (Club: Sutton & District AC, Coach: Jonas Tawiah-Dodoo) produced an impressive run of 7.33 to take the Under 20 title. She was clear of Finette Agyapong (Club: Newham & Essex Beagles AC, Coach: Coral Nourrice) who clocked 7.50 ahead of a rare dead heat for third place between Molly Scott (St L O Toole AC) and Charlotte Paterson (Club: Kingston upon Hull, Coach: Dean Lewis) as both clocked 7.52.

Oliver Bromby (Club: Southampton AC, Coach: Sara MacDonald-Gray) and Rechmial Miller (Club: Hercules Wimbledon AC, Coach: Ryan Freckleton) renewed their rivalry in the Under 20 60m and the race fully lived up to expectations. Bromby ran the fastest time by a British Junior this year to win the junior title in 6.73, improving on his bronze medal of last year. Second was Rechmial in 6.78 as Camron Lyttle (Club: Bexley, Coach: Christopher Harris) took bronze in 6.89.

The Under 17 men’s 60m saw Tyrese Johnson-Fisher (Club: Croydon, Coach: Steve Fudge) edging out Jona Efoloko (Club: Sale Harriers Manchester, Coach: John Smith) 6.92 to 6.93. Behind their battle Blake Brown (Club: Wirral AC, Coach: Paul Waters) claimed bronze with 7.03.

Last year’s Under 17 women’s 60m winner Ciara Neville (Emerald AC) retained her title with 7.52 as Vera Chinedu (Cambridge Harriers, Mark Lancaster) took silver with 7.64 and Cassie-Ann Pemberton (Club: Birchfield H, Coach: Sharon Morris) bronze in 7.70.

The Under 15 Boys 60m saw Kyle Reynolds-Warmington (Club: Belgrave, Coach: Andrea Lynch) take gold and move to the head of the rankings with 7.23. Jaleel Roper ( Club: Hercules Wimbledon, Coach: Paul Miller) chased him home in 7.25 with Raphael Bouju (Club: Bedford & County) taking bronze.

Amber Anning (Club: Brighton & Hove, Coach: Steve King) won the Under 17 Women’s 300m by almost a second with a time of 39.37 to add to the outdoor title she won (while still an Under 15) last summer.

Holly Mills (Club: Andover AC, Coach: James Coney) made her intentions clear with her opening jump in the Under 17 Women’s Long Jump, with an impressive distance of 6.13m. However, while that was strong enough for gold it ended up being only her third longest leap of the day as she extended her lead with a 6.22 – the second longest ever indoor by a British Under 17, second only to Margaret Cheetham’s 6.25 in 1985. The mark was also a Euro Youths qualifier and she later added a 6.16.

Emily Wright (Club: Bristol & West, Coach: Dan Cossin) jumped 6.18 to win the Under 20 long jump, break the Welsh record and move top of the year’s British rankings. Second placed Eleanor Broom (Club: Rugby & Northampton, Coach: Ian Roberts) jumping 6.07 to claim silver and also achieve a European Youth Games qualifying mark.

Jessica Robinson (Club: Windsor Slough Eton & H, Coach: Ellie Spain) was another to achieve a Euro Youths qualifier, this time in the Under 20 pole vault when she vaulted 4.00 to take gold ahead of Anna Gordon (Club: Pitreavie, 3.75) and Amber Try (Club: Windsor Slough Eton & Hounslow, Coach: Christian North, 3.60).

It was a 14.52m jump for Emmanuel Odubanjo (Club: Sale Harriers, Coach: Keith Hunter) in the opening jump of the Under 17 Men’s Triple Jump which claimed the gold medal and also moved him to seventh on the British all-time list.

The Under 20 men’s triple jump saw Kevin Metzger (Club: Sale, Coach: Keith Hunter) extend his PB to 15.00 and move to the top of the rankings with his second round jump. Jude Bright-Davies (Club: Thames Valley, Coach: David Johnson) claimed silver with 14.68.

Joshua Hewett cleared 2.07 to win gold in the Under 17 men’s high jump and had narrow failures at 2.10. The Manx athlete had previously won bronze at the indoor heptathlon bronze last year. Joel Khan (Club: Worcester AC, Coach: Deidre Elmhirst) and Thomas Hewes (Club: Chelmsford AC, Coach: Phil Sergeant) both cleared 2.00 so Thomas took silver and Khan bronze.

Hannah Molyneaux (Club: Nene Valley, Coach: Geoff Capes) claimed the Under 17 shot title to add to the Under 15 gold she won last year and her performance of 14.22 was ahead of the new Welsh record of 13.83 by silver medallist Sarah Omoregie (Club: Cardiff, Coach: Gareth Lease) as Gaia Osborne (Club: City of Portsmouth, Coach: Bronwin Carter) claimed bronze with 13.53.

With more action to follow tomorrow make sure you head to www.englandathletics.org/liveevents to follow the action.

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