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The battle of the age groups! England U20, U17 and U15 Open Indoor Championships preview 

Divine Iheme

World best in his age group, Divine Iheme, is set to star in the 60m, while Shaikira King, Otis Poole and Celine Obinna-Alo are among some of the other highly promising athletes due to appear at these second England Athletics championships of the year.

Under-20 men

European junior silver medallist Otis Poole (Yate AC, Joy Bray) will be going for gold in the high jump and looking to be closer to his PB of 2.20m than his best so far this year of 2.04m. Long jumper Daniel Emegbor (Harrow AC, Rohan Samuel), who was fifth in those European Juniors last year, is looking to add to his England outdoor title of last summer. Combined eventers Sammy Lok (Corby, Carol Jackson), Sam Wright (Chelmsford AC, Simon Hemmings) and Welshman Luca Phillips (Cardiff Archers, Phillip Warwicker) are other contenders.

Last year’s under-17 winner Dylan Williams (Be Fit Today, TJ Ossai) heads the 60m field with his 6.72 from his opening race of the season, which is just 0.06 short of Dwain Chambers’ championship best. Ethan Franklin (Woodford Green AC with Essex Ladies, Gladys Bird) and Mayo Alabi (Birchfield Harriers, Andy Paul), who will also be in with a good shout over the shorter distance, could threaten the championship record in the 200m, having clocked 20.84 and 20.86 respectively this season. Chris McGeorge’s 35-year-old 1500m championship record of 3:49.0 is under threat with Ethan Newell (Sutton and District AC, Nick Hancock) leading the way.

Under-20 women

After setting a championship record here last year with 2:04.34, 800m runner Shaikira King (Wreake and Soar Valley, Jon Bigg) is back to head the line-up.

Thea Brown (Sale Harriers Manchester, Ashley Bryant), the stand-out heptathlete and European junior long jump silver medallist, will be favourite in the 60m, high jump and long jump. Following her recent PB of 12.54m, Qi-Chi Ukpai (Blackheath and Bromley Harriers AC, Keith Fleming) seeks an upgrade on her triple jump silver of last year.

Sophie Thomas (Dunfermline Track and Field Club, Agustin Paniagua Osorio), who has set Scottish age-group records at 60m and 200m this season, will be a strong factor in both sprints after her 7.38 and 23.64 two weeks ago. Wales’ Nell Desir (Cardiff Archers, Lisa Waddon), a regular star of these championships, will be a force to be reckoned with. Darcy Coslett (Llanelli AC, Rhys Williams), who set a Welsh under-17 300m record in winning at these championships last year, steps up an age group as well as a distance as she goes over two laps.

Under-17 men

Following a win at the Southern Championships in 6.70, multiple England champion Divine Iheme (Radley AC, Nkiruka Iheme) needs just another hundredth to steal Mark Lewis-Francis’s UK under-17 record. The world’s fastest ever 15-year-old for the distance is more than a tenth quicker than the next best entrant, Bronson Hearn-Smith (Colchester Harriers AC, Stephen Garnham).

In the long jump, Michael Maguire (Reigate Priory AC, John Shepherd) is more than a metre better than his rivals on PBs. His 7.52m earlier this month was a centimetre short of Dominic Ogbechie’s national age-group best. Pole vaulter Max Merriman (Guildford and Godalming AC) is looking to defend his title. With a PB of 4.32m, he is behind Stanley Shacklock (Southampton AC, Tom Farres), who has cleared 4.40m this year.


Under-17 women

Celine Obinna-Alo (Gateshead Harriers and AC, Richard Kilty) opened her season in style with a UK under-17 short sprint best of 7.34 in her second race of the term in Lee Valley. Showing consistency, she ran 7.36 the same day. Both were quicker than the 7.38 she ran here last year to set the championship best. A year younger at 15, Annabelle Fasuba (City of Plymouth AC, Neal Edwards) ran 7.37 two weekends ago and is set to challenge Celine.

Another championship record is in jeopardy in the 200m, where Aliyah Afolabi (Cardiff Archers, Lisa Waddon) comes fresh from winning the Welsh under-20 title in 24.40. Her indoor PB of 23.91, set in this event last year, is 0.13 short of the mark.

Leila Newth (Ealing, Southall and Middlesex AC, David Johnson) won double England gold in the long and triple jump last summer and is down to compete in both events. In the triple, her outdoor PB of 12.69m is in excess of the championship best.

Looking to follow in the footsteps of Isabelle Boffey, who amazed us with a 1:57 last week, is 800m contender Jorjia March (Chelmsford AC, John Clarke), whose 2:06.82 is just a fraction outside the former’s championship best.


Under-15 boys

With an outdoor PB (12.43m) of a centimetre in excess of the triple jump championship best, Caleb Faleye (Dartford Harriers AC) is looking to step up from his fourth outdoors at England level last summer. He has jumped 12.27m this year and is also a leading contender in the long jump.

Bursting into the age group this season, Emmanuel Ofori-Manteaw (Ealing, Southall and Middlesex AC, Trevor Matthews) has smashed his PBs at both 60m and 200m and is hoping for a double here. His 7.14 at 60m is an advance on his 7.87 from 2025 and only two tenths outside the championship record of none other than Iheme.


Under-15 girls

Pole vaulter Florence Matten (Brighton and Hove AC, Richard Pilling) will seek to continue her rapid improvement after already jumping 3.71m this year. That is 10 centimetres higher than the championship record for the ranking’s leader.

In the 60m, Honor Oteng (Be Fit Today, TJ Ossai) is seeking to swap silver last year for gold here, being the quickest in the field at 7.55. Araya Williams (BRAT, Michael Plummer), who was fourth last year, is another of three athletes who have run 7.60 or quicker in what could be a close contest. Oteng also lines up in the 200m, where she is comfortably quickest.

Capree Cooper (Barnet and District AC, Andrew Flemming), the England outdoor 800m champion is in her first year in the age group last year, and is quickest in that event thanks to her 2:11.13 improvement this season.

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Top photo of Iheme by Pat isaacs

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