England Athletics U17, U15 and Junior Para Champs - powered by Citroën: A grand finale

Day three brought the curtain down on the Championships season for England’s best age-groupers. And it proved to be a fabulous last act in what has been a tremendous summer. Spectators and officials were treated to six championship record-breaking performances and on more than one occasion, flashes of world class brilliance. On this evidence, our clubs, coaches and volunteers are doing a great job in producing new talent and the seniors better look over their shoulders. The next generation is ready and waiting to take over!

The U15 girls 200m featured an age group record holder as Annabelle Fasuba (Neal Edwards, City of Plymouth) is equal first with 2000 Olympic bronze medallist Katharine Merry (Denis Baker, Birchfield) with 23.72. She ambled through her heat in 25.04 before blasting the final in 24.05. The records list what in reality was a windy 23.74 (with +4.2m/s) as the record so statisticians believe the actual mark is – or rather was – 24.21. Whatever the case, one thing for sure is she ran a great race!

“I’m really pleased with that. I think everything went and my reactions were really good,” Fasuba said.

Fabulous runs by British record holders were very much order of the day as Lucia Bertacchini (Andrew Fisher, Worcester) smoothly hurdled her way to the gold medal in the U17 women’s 300H. She’s twice broken the mark this season and quickly built up a commanding lead as she powered off the final bend. She was a little shy of her record on this occasion, but her 41.96 would still be a top 10 all-time clocking.

“It was ok,” said Lucia. “I was hoping for a faster time but I’m really happy with the medal. I’m looking forward to the next age group,” she added.

Perhaps one of the best races of the day came in the U17 women’s 80H. A Championships Best Performance of 10.96 by Izzy Rae (Nathan Standing, Bracknell) in the semi-finals hinted that there was more to come. Going into the champs she was already the British age group best holder with 10.94 earlier this season but with two of the three quickest of all-time in the final in the form of Scotland’s Holly Whittaker (Frank Gauld, Aberdeen) nothing could be taken for granted. And to add a little spice to the mix, the Scot, who has a best of 10.96, has enjoyed the upper hand when the pair have met. And it was Whittaker, the winner of the long jump on Saturday, who held it together to emerge victorious again with 11.00. Rae did get away quicker and Whittaker clipped the first two hurdles, but roles were reversed in the run-in and Rae just lost her momentum after hitting a barrier herself.

Heading to second on the all-time list with 53.56 in the U15 boys was Kendrick Onolememen (John Hillier, Cambridge Harriers). Incredibly, that wasn’t even the club record as Curtis Griffith-Parker (John Hillier, Cambridge Harriers) holds that from 2005 with 55.39. That record may fall soon, however, as Onolememen has another year in the age group.

“Really,” was Onolememen’s reply when he learned his huge throw didn’t even get him a club record. “I better get to work then,” he laughed. “My coach told me to stay hot on the inside and cool on the outside and that worked,” he added.

It was a great day for discus throwers as in the U17 men’s event – on the outside circle – Moyo Stumpenhusen (Gary Herrington, Rugby and Northampton) threw a magnificent CBP of 61.12 in the third round. Hot outside in this instance!

Isla Perry (Steve Carr, South Devon) also got in on the record-breaking act winning the U15 girls 300m. In a great race with the result in doubt all the way to the line, she stayed strong to stop the clock at 39.21

Earlier, Lucy Bull (Tony Jackson, Swindon Harriers) set the tone for the day in the U17 women’s javelin with a similar story. Still an U17 next season, she threw 48.03 in the final round to win the first gold of the day. It bodes well for the future as she has another year in the age group, and she was barely two metres off the CBP. An hour or so later, Ava Hayes (Richard Pilling, Lewes) was equally close to breaking the record in the U17 women’s pole vault, winning with a PB of 3.82 before three good attempts at 3.91.

It was a great day for jumping as four athletes went clear at 1.98 in U17 men’s high jump making this one of the keenest contested competitions in recent years. However, in the end none of them could clear 2.02 so thanks to his faultless card, it was Daniel Obike (Cambridge Harriers) who was crowned England champion.

Back on the track, the action came thick and fast with a great series of finals. In the U15 boys 200m, South Africa’s Grindan Abrahams (Pat Logan, Momentum Track Club) completed the double with a mightily impressive looking 21.77, the second fastest time ever at this event behind a certain Divine Iheme (Nkiruka Iheme, Radley) who added the U17 men’s 100m title Saturday and then the 200m to the double he won last year. He cantered through his semi in 21.60 before flying to 21.28, a personal best and his second title of the weekend.

A fabulous U17 women’s 200 closed the track programme. Aliyah Afolabi (Lisa Wadden, Cardiff Archers) clocked a lifetime best of 23.76, some consolation for seeing U15 CBP record broken minutes earlier.

Combined events

U17 men’s decathlon

It’s always an early start for the decathletes on day two of their competition, which perhaps explains Oliver Downs’s (Alex Pope, Invicta East Kent) sluggish looking 100H. His 13.94 kept him in the lead but Douglas Knox (Springburn) chipped six points from it with his 13.89. Not a disaster for the No.2 of all-time; more an early wake-up call! It worked as Downs then re-established order with an opening throw of 42.11 in the discus. Knox did throw a lifetime best of 36.24 with his final effort, but it was beginning to look like a tall order to catch Downs. The pole vault promised to be interesting as for many it’s still very much a work in progress event. Downs, jumping in Pool B edged his way – sideways on occasion – to a massive PB 3.30 but was long finished before Nathan Mobbs (Paul Brindley, N Ayrshire) even opened his account. Mobbs jumped 4.20, but there was a sense of too little too late given Downs’s record in the final two events. A steady 46.27 in the javelin set him up for a controlled 1500m and he duly obliged with 4:50.72 for a grand total of 6759 points; the sixth CBP of the weekend and a grand finale if there ever was one!

U15 boys octathlon

On the first day, Charlie Reilly (Brendan Reilly, Sheffield and Dearne) flew out of the blocks to win the 100m by a country mile. That was impressive but incredibly his 80H on day two was even better. He powered to 10.90, which would be the third fastest in the country this season and would have won Saturday’s individual final – it was that impressive. It also meant he now enjoyed a 355-point lead over Arthur Rogers (Bob Willows, Brighton and Hove). Reilly continued to look impressive in the discus. His 32.66 final round effort may have only placed him second in that particular discipline, but it was close to 10 metres further than his previous best. Freddie Strong (Border), one of the leaders on day one, did haul himself back to second overall as a result of his 27.15. PBs continued to be order of the day for Reilly in the high jump as just about every height he cleared was one. He ended with 1.75 to head for the final event with a 500+ point lead or in other words, 52 seconds. There was no jogging around though for Reilly as he had the CBP record on his mind and he finished his 1000m in 3:09.53 for a fabulous 4630pts.

*The programme of para ambulant competition kicked off with a cracking 100m. In a tight race, it was Cara Murphy, T12 (Law) who held her form perfectly, crossing the line in a season’s best of 14.16. She also ran 29.12 in the 200m, although U20 athlete Skala Langton, T20 (Leroy Campbell, Charnwood) did cross the line first in 28.69. The U17 men’s race produced one of the runs of the weekend as Elliott Griffiths, T20 (Liverpool H) absolutely flew to a fantastic looking 11.64, far inside his previous best of 12. 14, although this race was marginally windy. Is there more to come? You bet; he looked that good.

Thanks to all the officials and volunteers who made this superbly organised event possible. Plus, of course, we appreciate the dedication of the coaches, fans and families all of whom help create the excitement and action we all enjoy so much. It’s been an amazing season of Championships and England Athletics appreciates your work.

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