Press Releases for
April, May & June 2016
27/06/16
BBHAC athletes for European
Champs in Amsterdam in July
With the Rio Olympics starting
in August, the European Championships could easily have turned into an event
for B-category athletes. But British Athletics has supported it by sending a
98-strong squad – its largest in history – to next month’s event in
Amsterdam from July 6-10th.
The team includes a half a
dozen reigning champions as well – including Greg Rutherford, who is also
preparing to defend his Olympic long jump title in Rio, distance runner Jo
Pavey, sprint hurdler Tiffany Porter and sprinters James Dasaolu, Martyn
Rooney and BBHAC’s Adam Gemili.
Among this
team are 4 athletes from BBHAC following great summer performances.
Adam Gemili will contest the
100m this time although he goes in the 200m at the Olympics, and has also
been selected for the 4x100 relay. Dina Asher Smith will continue with her
fine form in the 200m and also will be a member of the 4x100 squad along
with fellow club member Shannon Hylton. Serita Solomon has been selected for
the 100m hurdles, and Scott Overall was selected for the half marathon event
but has to withdraw through injury.
The club had a great number of
athletes on display at the British Championships in Birmingham which also
doubled up as the Olympic trials.
The great news is that with Adam
Gemili and Dina Asher Smith winning their 200m finals in 20.44 and 23.11
respectively they have both been selected to represent Great Britain at the
Rio Olympics in August in these events and most probably in the sprint
relays as well where medals could be a distinct possibility.
In the long jump event 16-year-old
Holly Mills finished a fantastic third with a jump of 6.23m, James Whiteaker
also finished third in the men’s javelin with a new personal best of 71.84m
improving his club under 20 record by over 2 metres. In the ladies triple
jump Chioma Matthews and Zara Asante finished 4th and 7th for highly
respectable placings, while Matthew Blandford was 7th in the discus and
Oliver Newport 7th in the long jump, with Shannon Hylton 6th in the ladies
200m and Montell Douglas 8th in the 100m.
In the qualifying rounds many of our
sprinters were on display but unfortunately in the face of stiff competition
could not make the finals of their events but well done to James Alaka, Jazz
Crawford, Shayone Simao, Vivien Olatunji, Maya Bruney and Rachel Dickens for
making it to the championships. In the distance events Phil Sesemann was
outsprinted for a place in the 1500m final while second claim member Graham
Rush ran steadily for 15th place in the 5000m but could not cope with the
rapid change of pace during a slow tactical race. Jonathan Ilori took 15th
in the men’s triple jump while teenager Divine Oladipo performed well for
8th in the shot put and 9th in the discus.
Elsewhere the young athletes
performing in the under 17s and under 20s Youth Development League at
Allianz Park were seriously depleted with so many athletes away at the
British Champs but nevertheless performed heroically to win both the men’s
and women’s matches. The combined scores gave BBHAC a win with 728 points
winning by 87 points from Windsor to cement the lead at the top of the table
after three rounds.
In the men’s under 20 events Shamar
Thomas Campbell won the 200m in a new pb of 22.13 with Bailey Stickings
winning the 400m hurdles with a massive new pb of 53.79 and is now ranked
2nd in the UK behind Joe Fuggle in this age group. In the men’s under 17
events there were good wins for Femi Sofolarin in the B 100m and A string
javelin, Chitzate Ogbedeh won the B string 200m, while William Adedeye won
both the 100m hurdles and the long jump with Ben Sutton winning the B strong
long jump. Kelechi Agoucha and Ben Edozie won both high jumps, Adeyinka
Adeniran ran an impressive 11.36 100m for 2nd and Angus Harrington won the B
string javelin having run the 800m earlier.
To the ladies’ events Niamh Bridson
Hubbard broke the League Record whilst winning the U20 1500 and Sophie
Dowson improved her own U20 PV Club record by 1cm to 3.76. BBHAC took wins
in all three strings of the TJ and the u17 throwers (Victoria Wiltshire,
Carys Marsden, Eloise Locke and Emma James) and U20 sprinters (Modupe
Shokunbi, Isio Orogun, Immanuela Aliu and Parris Johnson) collected a host
of wins. There were wins in the hurdles for Annie Davis who also won the
triple jump with Toyin Orelaja winning the B string at the under 20 level,
Karrina Harris in the triple jump and as usual Yasmin Austridge won the
1500m steeplechase in the under 17 age group. There were 5 relay victories
including the under 17 ladies winning both long and sprint relays, the under
20 ladies and under 17 men winning the sprint relays and the under 20 men
winning the 4x400m relay to round off an excellent weekend for BBHAC.
The next round is scheduled for Eton
on 24th July.
Nick Brooks
21/06/16
Another fairly
busy week for BBHAC athletes who have competed far and wide.
Dina Asher Smith
competed in the Diamond League in Stockholm and showed us a return to form
by winning the 200m in 22.72 which now leads the UK rankings and stands her
in good stead for the forthcoming UK Olympic Trials. Adam Gemili continued
with his return to form by winning the 200m at the Brussels Grand Prix in
20.37 to move up to third in the UK rankings. In Copenhagen at the Athletics
Games Kieran Daly opened his seasons account winning a 100m in 10.49.
At the Watford
BMC meeting Katy Ann-McDonald won an 800m event in 2.06.35 which ranks her
second in the under 17 category in the UK, and also established a new age
group club record by beating her own mark by 0.1 seconds. Phil Sesemann
continued his fine season by lowering his pb in the 800m to 1.52.04 when
finishing 3rd in the B race.
At the England
Athletics Championships held at Bedford for both under 20s and under 23s,
BBHAC had a host of athletes participating. Highlights of the weekend was
Oliver Newport winning the U23 mens long jump in 7.43m, and Divine Oladipo
winning the under 20 ladies discus with a throw of 48.11m, while Jack
Messenger finished 4th in the 400m hurdles in 54.93. In the under
20 mens events Bailey Stickings continues with his rapid improvement
finishing 4th in the 400m hurdles in yet another pb of 54.88,
while Will Fuller ran superbly in a competitive 1500m race to finish fourth
in 3.56.78. In the under 18 mens 400m hurdles Joe Fuggle took 3rd
in 53.93.
In the under 23
ladies 400m Rachel Dickens continues with her improvement in form taking 5th
in 54.79, while the under 20 ladies saw some great performances from BBHAC
athletes. In the shot putt Divine Oladipo added a bronze to her gold in the
discus with a throw of 14.01m, Niamh Bridson Hubbard earned a great silver
medal in the 3000m in 9.33.37 and a new pb, Jazz Crawford won a hard fought
bronze medal in the 200m in 24.62 with Immanuela Aliu 6th in
25.41, Jessica Keene took 9th in the 1500m while Annie Davies and
Mary Adeniji finished 5th and 14th in the triple jump
both a little down on their pbs. Sophie Dowson vaulted 3.45m for 4th
in the pole vault.
Finally in the
under 18 ladies 100m hurdles BBHAC took a superb 1-2 with Holly Mills
winning in 12.79 narrowly from Isabella Hilditch in 12.80. In the Southern
league Division 2E which is a competition for the second team effectively at
both mens and womens levels, BBHAC with a depleted team took a magnificent
win in the match with many strong individual performances and the
willingness of athletes to compete in their non specialist events to secure
much needed points. Apart from Steve Timmins, Alex Pope, Mark Cryer and Tim
Ayres among others competing in many events, Jane Bradshaw, Imogen Levy,
Christina Moore, Nicole Farmer, Carole Penlington, Jackie Montgomery all at
least doubled up to earn valuable points. Highlight of the day was probably
Yasmin Austridge winning the 2000m steeplechase by almost a whole lap.
At the Young
Athletes Development League held at Norman Park for the under 15s and under
13s, BBHAC won the match in style and in so doing closed the gap on
Southampton so that BBHAC is now only one point behind in second place. Lots
of great performances with under 15 wins for the boys with Rowan Fuss
(1500m), Caelan Raju (hurdles) with B string wins for Robert Suckling (800m)
and Pedro Gleadall (javelin).
Among the under
13 boys Robert Murray won the shot put and was second in the A string 200m,
with Sam Reardon winning the B string 200m, also winning the A string 1500m
and taking third in the B strong javelin, a great allrounder. Jacob Byfield
won the long jump and the team easily win the 4x100m relay,
In the under 15
ladies events Lia Radus and Jessica Neal both won the 1500m and both with
new pbs, while Hannah Macaulay won the shot put and the B string discus,
with Kareena Galley taking second in the A string discus. Eleanor Barratt
equalled her pb to win the pole vault and Kamilya Robinson-Pascal won the B
string long jump. For the under 13 ladies both Ellie Dolby and Amarisa
Sibley won their 1200m events while Akeiyla Robinson-Pascal won the long
jump.
Nick Brooks
13/06/16
A fairly busy
week for the BBHAC athletes this week with James Habergham running in a BMC
event in Stretford and setting a pb in the 800m with 1.52.43. Elsewhere
Jahisha Thomas representing her US University Iowa finished a commendable 15th
in the NCAA long jump with 6.15m in Eugene, Oregon, and only 6cm shy of her
pb.
The South of England Champs were
held at Lee Valley and BBHAC had many athletes performing. The biggest
highlight of the weekend was Jonathan Ilori winning the triple jump in
15.34m, while James Alaka was one of the fastest qualifiers in the 100m with
10.46 but was disqualified in the final when probably the favourite to win.
He was also one of the fastest qualifiers in the 200m but did not contest
the final. Jake Field and Lewis Ely finished 6th and 9th
in the mens high jump, Jack Messenger finished 6th in the 400
metre hurdles.
Among the senor womens events
Shayane Simao finished 4th in the 100m in 12.25, and Melissa
Owusu-Ansah and Yimika Adewakun finished 2nd and 6th
in the 400 metre final in 55.29 and 56.89 respectively.
The under 20 ladies were very
successful with Divine Oladipo winning both the shot put and discus with
efforts of 13.82m and 44.96m, Niamh Bridson Hubbard easily won the 2500m in
4.29.83, while other medalists included Jazz Crawford with 2nd in
the 200m with 24.87 and Jessica Keene 3rd in the 3000m in
10.29.11. Zoe Fitch looks to have thrown 36.93 for 2nd in the
javelin, while jumpers Isabella Hilditch ran well for 4th in the
high hurdles and Toyin Orelaja and Mary Adeniji finished 4th and
7th in the triple jump.
Two outstanding runs in the mens
under 20 events saw Bailey Stickings win bronze in the 400m hurdles with a
new pb of 55.78, while Ocean Schwartz continued his fine season with bronze
in the 400m a little down on his pb in 49.25.
At the National 10km incl.
Inter-Counties Walking event in Coventry BBHAC’s Shaun Lightman had a good
race as he worked hard to stay in front of racing legend Arthur Thompson who
he had caught after a couple of laps which enabled him to finish 8th
in 64.57. Shaun is a remarkable former Olympic race walker and now over 70
years old and still performing competitively with athletes less than half
his age.
Nick Brooks
7/06/16
At the Diamond League event held in Birmingham BBHAC
sprinters Adam Gemili and Dina Asher Smith were both performing in the 100m.
Adam ran 10.29 for 6th but a little down on his season opener of 10.19 the
previous week. Now ranked 9th in the UK Adam has three weeks to get ready
for the Olympic Trials where he needs to finish in the first two and make
sure he achieves a 10.16 qualifying mark.
Dina qualified for the ladies 100m final with her
usual fast start enabling her to qualify with a seasons best of 11.08 and
her 4th best time ever proving she is coming back to form at just the right
time. In the final and up against an international field including English
Gardner and Dafne Schippers, Dina had a headwind to contend with and
finished 4th in 11.22 but ahead of her other British rivals. With all of her
exams now over she can focus on the Olympic trials and then the Olympics in
Rio.
BBHAC senior men were in action at West London stadium
in the National League Division 1 match. With the lead and positions
changing constantly throughout the afternoon BBHAC finally finished 6th but
have retained 4th place in the league overall after 2 matches and only a
fraction of a point off 3rd place. A big team performance is required at the
next match at home in Bromley on July 2nd if BBHAC is to maintain its league
position.
With the grounds at the Linford Christie stadium
resembling “I’m a celebrity get me out of here” as the grass surrounds have
not been cut since Linford Christie himself last ran, it was not a great set
up for a match of such significance which shows how lucky we are with Norman
Park. However even with a weakened team mainly due to exams quite rightly
taking a priority, the athletes performed admirably with many competing in
their non-specialist events just to secure points like Richard Webb, Marco
Arcuri and James Habergham, with Duane Bovell also running along relay leg.
Schoolboy George Pope equaled his pb of 3.20m in the B string pole vault and
with a stronger pole looks capable of vaulting a lot higher. Another
teenager Marco Arcuri in his main event the 5000m took over 10 seconds of
his pb with 16.41.99 and picked up valuable points.
On the track James Alaka came second in the 100m only
losing out by 2 one -hundredths in 10.52 with Toby Olubi 2nd in the B string
in 10.80, but James made up for this winning the 200m comfortably in 21.31
with 18-year-old Shamar Thomas-Campbell making his senior debut in the B
string.
Will Fuller led into the last lap in the 1500m only to
be pipped on the line in a highly respectable 3.52.84, while Graham Rush led
the 5000m from the front gradually dropping all of his challengers to win by
the length of the straight in 14.35.74 in preparation for the upcoming
British Trials.
To the field events and without Lewis Church pole
vaulting, throwing the javelin and high jumping we would be far worse off.
Likewise, Steve Timmins competed in the shot, discus, hammer and javelin,
and Alex Pope the shot, discus and hammer, and Mark Cryer the long jump,
hurdles, and relay. Not quite a four-man man field events team as Tom French
won the A string long jump with 7.17 and Mark the B string with 6.77m, but
also great wins in both triples jumps for Jonathon Ilori in 14.99m and
Robert Sutherland in 14.45m.
Hopefully with the full team on duty next month BBHAC
can build on these first two meetings as finishing third or fourth this year
in the league would be a great achievement with Thames Valley Harriers
winning the first two matches and taking an unassailable lead closely
followed by Southampton.
At the Active Newham Open Series BBHAC had a host of
sprinters in action with James Alaka clocking very impressive 10.19 and
10.27 100m times albeit both above the legal limit, but in the 200 he
clocked a seasons best 20.58 to be 6th ranked UK athlete. Dean Hylton
clocked 10.61 and Toby Olubi 10.69, while Ismael Smith-John ran 2 pbs in the
100m and 200m with 11.15 and 22.32 clockings. In the ladies’ events events
Jazz Crawford ran 12.01 for the 100m, but better still ran 18.17 and fastest
on the day in the rarely contested 150m event. Melissa Owusu-Ansah clocked a
pb in the 400m with 55.53 while Becky McLinden ran 58.17.
The senior ladies team were also in action on Sunday
at Bristol in the UK Womens League Division 1 match and finished a highly
commendable second having tied with winners Woodford Green & Essex Ladies on
216 points.
Rachel Dickens won the B string 200m in 24.40 and then
finished second in the A string 400m with Krystal Galley 2nd in the B string
400m. Niamh Bridson Hubbard continued her fine season by finishing 3rd in
the A string 800m and then second in the B string 1500m, with Caroline Ford
winning the B string 800m. Elsewhere Annie Davies won the B string 100m
hurdles and the B string triple jump with Chioma Matthews winning the A
string, both athletes winning by over a metre. Divine Oladipo and Shaunagh
Brown both won the A and B strings of the shot and discus while Jackie
Montgomery won the B string pole vault and gamely ran round for points in
the B string 3000m showing what a great team member should do for points
especially as it was a close fought match with Bristol only 5 points behind
and Trafford a further 17 points back.
To round the day off the BBHAC quartet of Modupe
Shokunbi, Maya Bruney, Rachel Dickens and Viv Olatunji won the 4x100m relay.
Nick Brooks
1/06/16
At the BMC meeting in Watford on Saturday Phil
Sesemann won the 1500 A race in 3.43.48 and Will Fuller ran 3.48.32 for 5th
in the B race, both new personal bests.
In the US at the NCCA regional preliminaries Jashisha
Thomas leapt 6.17m in the long jump to book her place in the finals in
Eugene as the 23rd qualifier. Oliver Newport narrowly missed out on his
place in the finals in the mens long jump but if he had jumped to his true
potential he too would have been on the plane to Oregon.
Elsewhere Dina Asher Smith opened her seasons account
with an 11.22 in the 100m in Gavardo Italy, winning by one-hundredth of a
second.
At Bromley the under 17s and 20s were on show this
weekend in the UK Youth Development League South Premier 1, and just as they
had done the previous month the mens and ladies teams combined to win the
match comfortably by scoring 843 points to Windsors 671, a massive margin of
victory. Far too many outstanding results for all to be mentioned but
highlights included a 10.86 and 22.26 for Shamar Thomas Campbell in the
under 20s mens sprints, an easy 3000m win for Wil Fuller in the 3000m having
run the day before in Watford. James Habergham, Joss Barber and Ocean
Schwartz who have both competed for the mens senior team ran well at 800m
and 400m, while Bailey Stickings ran outstandingly in the mens 400m hurdles
and Dele Aladese won the discus.
In the under 17s William Adedeye and Ben Sutton won
the long jump strings, while Edward Adams and Josh Watson won their hurdles
events, with Femi Sofolarin and Angus Harrington performing solidly in the
javelin, with Kelechi Aguocha, Elliott Thorne, Coleman Corry, George Pope
and Lewis Stickings all picking up good points in their events. To cap a
fine afternoon BBHAC also won the 4X100 relay.
In the under 20 ladies competition there were great
sprint wins for Vivien Olatunji, Modupe Shokumbi and Parris Johnson, with
Niamh Bridson Hubbard and Jess Keene winning both the 1500m legs, Isabella
Hilditch won the sprint hurdles A string with Anastasia Davis winning the B
string and also winning the triple jump. Divine Oladipo again won both the
shot and discus with Anna Barnett winning the B string discus, and Sophie
Dowson was again a clear winner in the pole vault. To round things off the
ladies won the 4X100m relay.
In the ladies under 17 competition there were great
sprint wins for Charmont Webster-Tape and Katie Woolcott, while Katy-Ann
McDonald and Grace Scopes won both the 800m races. Yasmin Austridge won the
1500m and also the B string 300m, Holly Mills again performed brilliantly to
win both the sprint hurdles and long jump, Victoria Wiltshire and Carys
Marsden won both the hammer events, Eloise Locke won the shot putt and
discuss with Eve Keith winning the B string shot, while Nicole Farmer won
the triple jump. Not to be outdone by their colleagues in the relays the
ladies won the 4x300 relay too.
Nick Brooks
24/05/16
Lots of BBHAC
athletes in action this weekend with many running at the Loughborough
International meeting, the senior men and women in action at Hornchurch in
the Southern League 2 East, and the under 13 and 15 boys and girls in action
at Southampton in the Youth Development League.
Signficant
improvements made by teenagers Niamh Bridson Hubbard in finishing 4th
in the 3000m in a new pb of 9.33.63, while Divine Oladipo putt the shot out
to 14.05m for a new pb and also threw the discus 45.14m, while 16 year old
Holly Mills won the long jump in a highly commendable 6.24m and only 5 cm
short of her new pb. In the sprints James Alaka who recently returned to the
UK recorded a 100/200 of 10.56/21.00, with Dean Hylton clocking 10.76 for a
seasons best in the 100m. In the ladies sprints Montell Douglas is showing
some good form with a 100/200 double in 11.52/23.66 both for season bests,
although Shannon Hylton was a little quicker with a 23.48 clocking albeit
above the legal wind limit.
In the 400m
Rachel Dickens clocked 54.75 for a seasons best followed by Yimika Adelwakum
in 57.05, while Will Fuller ran a lifetime best in the mens 3000m finishing
8th in 8.14.08. In the ladies event Jessica Keene also ran
9.59.02. To complete the track events Jack Messenger ran the 400m hurdles in
54.74 only a little down on is pb set recently.
Other field
events saw Tom French and Mark Cryer finish 7th and 9th
in 7.23m and 6.93m respectively, while Chioma Matthews finished 3rd
in the ladies triple jump with a leap of 13.20m.
Elsewhere at the
Youth Development league the under 13s and 15s boys and girls teams were in
action where some outstanding performances enabled the club to finish second
to host Southampton with 534 points to their 556 points.
In the under 15
boys 75m hurdles Rico Cottell and Caelan Raju both won their legs in 12.6
and 12.5 seconds, while Michael Burfoot won the A string shot with a put of
11.31m and also competed in the hammer and the discus. Rico also won the A
string high jump in 1.70 while Pedro Gleadall won the B string in 1.60m.
Myles Xavier won the B string long jump with a leap of 5.39m while Nana
Okwesa took second in the A string with a pb of 5.46m.
In the under 13
boys events Robert Murray won both the A string shot and the B string 200m,
Sam Reardon won the 1500m in 4.50.8, while Jacob Byfield took the 75m
hurdles and long jump in 13.1 and 4.76m for a new pb. The boys sprint relay
team also won in 55.8.
For the under 15
girls Yasmin Marghini won the 800m in 2.22.2 and Sophie Hoare and Lia Radus
both won the 1500 strings. In the under 13s Daniella Harper won the B string
800m, Ellie Dolby the A string 1200m and Akeiyla Robinson-Pascal won the
long jump with 4.65 and a new pb.
Next event is our
home fixture at Norman Park on June 19th so come along and
support the teams.
Nick Brooks
16/05/16
Lots of club
athletes in action this past weekend with the highlight coming from Oliver
Newport who made a leap of 7.78 metres in Florida representing Louisville
University at the ACC conference championships. This ranks Oliver at 5th
in the UK and only 37 cms off of the Olympic qualifying mark.
Elsewhere both
Phil Sesemann and Will Fuller ran personal bests in the BMC 1500 metres
races in Birmingham. Phil ran 3.45.98 and Will ran 3.50.97.
In the BMAF Road Relays at Sutton Park
our ladies aged 35 team came in a highly commendable 13th place
with Carole Penlington (7th) 18:14, Jennie Butler (11th) 21:12, Sara
Elmqvist (12th ) 21:22 and Jenny Neal (13th) 20:49.
The mens aged 35 team went even better
for 10th place with Fintan Parkinson (29) 17:03, Peter Tucker
(15) 16:01, Luca Ercolani (18) 17:54, Alex Gibbins (11) 15:55, Steve Cooper
(12) 18:31 and Michael Skinner bringing the team home in 16:13.
At the Kent County Championships at
Ashford, BBHAC had many athletes on duty, so many to mention but with 27
winners it was another great day for the club.
In the senior events Georges
Vacharopoulos won the 800m in 1.57.57 and Jackie Montgomery the ladies pole
vault with a leap of 2.60 metres. In the under 20 events there were wins
form Alex Skipp in the 200m with 22.43 and Baliey Stickings in the 400m
hurdles with 57.17, while in the ladies events Parris Johnson won both the
100m and 200m in 12.47 and 25.54, Jessica Keene took gold in the 800m in
2.18.02 with Georgina Taylor and Leah Everson picking up silver and bronze
medals. Niamh Bridson Hubbard took the 1500m from Jessica Keene and Divine
Oladipo won both the shot and discus with 13.70m and 47.01m.
In the under 17 mens events there were
two great wins for Matthew Knight in the 100m and 200m in 11.18 and 22.75,
and Femi Sofolarin took the javelin with a throw of 48.66m. In the ladies
events Immanuela Aliu won the 100m in 12.02 with BBHAC athletes taking the
next three places with Magda Cienciala, Katie Woolcott and Mhairi Brooks.
Immanuela also won the 200m in 24.53. Not to be out done in the throws
Eloise Locke won both the shot and discus with 12.47 and 44.08m for a new pb
and second ranked athlete in the country. Carys Marsden won the discus with
34.58 and Victoria Wiltshire easily won the hammer with a throw of 52.01m.
Finally the under 15s chipped in with a
huge number of gold medals with wins in the 80m hurdles for Caelen Raju in
12.33, Rico Cottell won the high jump in 1.80m and Pedro Gleadall took the
javelin in 47.39m and the pole vault with a leap of 3.10m. Miles Xavier won
the long jump with 5.70m, Robert Suckling took the 800m in in 2.11.51 and
Michael Burfoot the shot with 11.30m. Daisy Dowling won the under 15 ladies
javelin with a throw of 30.99m.
Nick Brooks
9/05/16
BBHAC finished a creditable fourth place in their
opening match BAL Division One fixture at Watford. Throughout the afternoon
as each event finished the lead changed hands numerous times with as many as
4 different teams in front at some stage including BBHAC. A disappointing
finish in the last two field events plus a disqualification for a lane
violation in the 4x400m relay meant the club finished 4th which was in line
with expectations with Thames Valley Harriers the victors.
It was a difficult match but thanks to some doubling
or tripling up by some of our athletes we were a competitive team. Phil
Sesemann not only ran a pb in the 800m of 1.52.69 for 2nd, and also 2nd in
the 3000 metres later in the afternoon, but competed in the hammer and by
taking 6th place won much needed points. He wasn’t the only one to do more
than their usual share of events. Lewis Church competed in the pole vault
where he jumped a solid 4 metres, second in the B string high hurdles,
jumped a useful 1.95m in the high jump and then took third in the B string
shot before running a leg in the 4x400m relay.
What we did have was some very talented and committed
athletes who made sure that every event was covered.
Best event of the day for the Club was the triple jump
with Jonathan Ilori winning the A string in 15.30m and Robert Sutherland
winning the B string in 14.57m The long jump was not far behind in terms of
success with Tom French jumping an outstanding 7.60 metres for first in the
A string with Mark Cryer 2nd in the B string
Elsewhere 18 year Elliott Holland competed for the
club for the first time running a useful 49.35 in the A string 400m for 6th
place, while Ocean Schwartz ran a pb of 48.71 in winning the B string. Joe
Fuggle also a junior ran superbly for third in the A string 400m hurdles
with 53.65 plus a relay leg, and will look to run faster over the slightly
lower hurdles used by the juniors as he seeks a championship qualifying time
of 53.50. In the B string Jack Messenger ran brilliantly in winning the B
string with a new pb of 54.01
The second of the 4 leagues matches will see BBAC in
action again in the league on June 4th at West London stadium at the home of
Thames Valley Harriers where they will look to consolidate their league
position before their third match at home in Bromley on July 2nd.
Elsewhere the BBHAC young boys and girls were also in
action at Norman Park in Bromley for the under 13 and under 15 Kent
Athletics League 1 match where the club were able to field 2 teams per age
group which shows the strength and depth we have at the club.
BBHAC came away in first place following team wins by
the girls in both the age groups, also the same for the under 15 boys while
the under 13 boys finished third.
For the under 13 boys A string winners included Same
Reardon in the 1500 metres, with Jacob Byfield winning both the 75 metres
hurdles and the long jump while Robert Murray won the shot put. In the under
15s Kyron Morgan won the 100m, Peter Guy the 300m, Rowan Fuss the 1500m and
Rico Cottell the 80 metres hurdles. In the field Pedro Gleadell won the high
jump and the pole vault, Miles Xavier the long jump and Michael Burfoot the
shot put, and to wrap up a great win in the 4x300m relay. Add B string wins
for Myles Xavier (100m), Joshua Gbago (300m and long jump), Pedro Gleadell
(hurdles), Rico Cottell and Ethan Kitterdige in the long jump and pole
vault, its easy to see why the boys won the match in their age group.
The girls in both age groups were also outstanding and
not to be outdone by the boys they too won both their matches.
In the under 13 girls Achieng Oneko won the 75m and
the B strong shot put, Shakanya Oshashon the 150m, Ellie Dolby the 1200m,
Akeiyla Robinson-Pascal the high jump, Renee Bel-Momodu the shot put and the
4x100m relay team also won. With B string winners Daiz’a Foster (75m and
high jump), Kelechi Ambros (150m) and Amarisa Sibly (1200m) contributing
immensely to a win by more than 18 points from Tonbridge.
The under 15 girls won both the strings in the 1500m
with Lia Radus and Jessica Neal, while Daisy Dowling won the javelin throw.
While the team may have been light on individual winners they nevertheless
performed brilliantly in all events to win the match by 14 points from
Medway and Maidstone setting themselves up nicely for the next round at
Dartford on June 5th.
Nick Brooks
2/05/16
It was the turn of the other BBHAC youngsters to
compete this weekend as the under 20 and under 17s came to action at Eton in
the YDLU Southern Premier League.
Many outstanding performances contributed to a massive
win by BBHAC who scored 816 points, winning by 97 points from Reading and
119 from Windsor in third. With three further matches over the course of the
summer this was a fantastic start by the BBHAC team.
Sophie Dowson finished second in the under 20s womens
pole vault and in doing so set a new club record of 3.75 metres, while Holly
Wells jumped 6.17 metres to win the under 17 ladies long jump and equal both
the club U17 record and the league record, while Victoria Wiltshire won the
under 17 ladies hammer throw adding 6 metres to the club record with her
throw of 52.99 metres. In the mens under 20 javelin James Whiteaker set a
club record of 69.22 metres and now tops the UK rankings.
Other notable performances: Divine Oladipo's
shot/discus double (13.94/47.86); Annie Davies winning 3 events (400hB,
100hB and TJ); Eloise Locke shot/javelin double. Clearly lots of other good
performances but honourable mentions for 'taking one for the team' for
Millie Smith, Genni Allan, Amy Leach, Grace Scopes and, as ever, Jess Keene
- all stepped up to take on an additional 3000 metres or steeplechase in
addition to their scheduled events.
In the under 20 mens events Alex Shipp won the B
string 200 metres in 22.35, William Pope won the B string 400m in 52.47 and
Jacob Veerapen won the A string triple jump with 14.38m.
In the mens under 17 events there were A string wins
for Matthew Knight in the 200m with a 22.82 clocking, William Adeyeye took
the long jump with a leap of 6.77m while in the B string events there were
good wins for Femi Sofolarin in the 100 metre hurdles with 15.55, Coleman
Corry in the 400 metre hurdles with 63.08, Nor Kasem in the javelin with a
throw of 45.04m while Edward Adams won both the long jump and high jump with
leaps of 6.04m and 1.60m respectively.
In the ladies under 20 events other notable
performances saw A string wins for Maya Bruney in the 100m with 12.25, with
Niamh Bridson Hubbard continuing with her great season by winning the 1500
metres in 4.31.01, while both BBHAC teams won the 4X100 and 4X400 relays
with times of 48.40 and 4.08.85. B string wins were gained by Parris Johnson
in the 200m, Anna Barnett in the discus, Mary Adeniji in the triple jump and
Isobel Reeves in the high jump.
Finally in the under 17 ladies events BBHAC fielded
numerous winners with Charmont Webster Tape and Katie Woolcott winning both
the 100 metres races in 12.24 and 12.52 respectively, Immanuela Aliu and
Magda Cienciala winning both the 200 metre races in 25.05 and 25.83, Sophie
Taylor the B string 800 metres in 2.31.57, Genni Allan the 1500m B string in
4.57.34, with Mille Smith winning the B string 3000m in 11.00.81. Over the
barriers Katie Purser won the B string 80 metres hurdles with 12.55 seconds,
with Yasmin Austridge and Amy Leach winning both strings in the 1500m
steeplechase with 5.07.16 and 6.11.12. Carys Marsden won the B string hammer
throw with 34.78m and Karina Harris won the A string triple jump with
11.27m, and to cap it off BBHAC won the 4x100m relay in 48.00.
Also over the weekend the BUCS Championships were held
at Bedford for students studying at British Universities and Colleges.
Rachel Dickens ran brilliantly to finish 3rd in the womens 400 metres and
Will Fuller finished 7th in the mens 5000m in 14.46.03, beating his previous
pb which he set in qualifying. Tom Parker threw 60.02m in the hammer throw
for 5th place while second claimer Graham Rush ran superbly with 30.02.45
for 2nd in the 10000m.
On the Drake Relays held in Des Moines, Iowa in the US
Jashisha Thomas registered a 5.87m long jump and also a 13.95 100 metre
hurdles.
Nick Brooks
25/04/16
Scott Overall was aiming to be among
the first two Britons to finish in this years Virgin London Marathon again
and after running the first half in around 65 minute looked to have judged
things to perfection. The Blackheath & Bromley athlete was unable to finish
the race and with three other Britons running well enough it might be that
the Olympic selectors look elsewhere.
Next home for the Club and new club
champion was Fintan Parkinson who ran 2.31.24 in 88th place overall leading
3 other club members to a sub 3 hour marathon including Tony
Crowder, Alex Gibbins and Luca Ercolani. First woman
home for the Club was Jennifer Neal in 3.20.04 followed by Tracey Ashenden
(3.46.10) which was nearly a 6 minute improvement on last year. The club
managed to field only 20 finishers this year.
Of course many others were
supporting around the course and working at the finish area on the baggage
lorries.
The Club’s youngsters (under 13s and
15s) kicked off their summer track and field season at a cold and windy
Palmer Park, Reading in the first round of the UK youth development league (UKYDL),
finishing in third team spot at the end of the day.
Most notable performances and there
were many included wins in the A string Under 15s for Rico Cottell in the
100m in 11.9 who also on the high jump with 1.68m, Myles Xavier on the 200m
with 24.4 who also went on to win the long jump with a leap of 5.74m, Jospeh
Georgidais winning the 1500m in of 4.32.0, with Caelan Raju winning both the
A string 80m hurdles and B string high jump in 12.6 and 1.60m both personal
bests. Other B string winners included Rowan Fuss on the 800m with 2.15.8,
Pedro Gleadell a new pb of 13.2 in the hurdles, and to finish off a team win
in the 4X100 relay with a margin of more than two seconds.
In the under 13 age group Jacob
Byfield ran a pb of 12.8 to win the A string hurdles while Olivia English
won the B string under 13 girls hurdles also in a pb of 12.7. Olivia Howlett
won the under 13 girls B string long jump in a new pb of 4.04m.
Two notable performances from BBHAC
athletes studying in the US include a 21.61 for 200m by James Alaka in
Gainesville, Florida and a 12.89 triple jump by Jashisha Thomas albeit over
the allowed wind reading, in Iowa City.
Nick Brooks
19/04/16
BBHAC hosted and won the first match in the Sweatshop
Southern League 2 East on Saturday, scoring 234 points with Stevenage over
50 points behind. No other winning team managed to get anywhere near this
winning score at any of the other league matches which is a great sign for
the remainder of the season.
BBHAC athletes Tom French and Shaunagh Brown won the
best performers awards for best male and female athlete.
Toby Olubi and Shamar Thomas-Campbell both won the 100
metre mens races, Becky McLinden won the womens 400m, while Georges
Vacharapoulos, Joss Barber and Danielle Critchley all won their 800 races
with Niamh Bridson Hubbard and Jessica Keene wining their 1500m races,
Carole Penlington and Amy Leach both won their 3000m races.
Over the barriers Yasmin Austridge took the 2000
steeplechase while Isabella Hilditch won both the 100 and 400 A string
hurdles, with Anastasia Davies winning the B string high hurdles and also
the triple jump. Tim Ayres and Catrin Murphy also won their 400 metre hurdle
races and to finish BBHAC won both the 4x100 and 4x400 relays for both the
mens and womens races.
To the field Tom French won both the A string long
jump and triple jump and Patrick Apantaku took the B string triple jump and
could have won the A string with his jump. Karina Harris won the B strong
triple jump and Shaunagh Brown won the shot putt, discuss and hammer throw
to earn her athlete of the match award. Divine Oladipo and Victoria
Wiltshire with a new pb secured wins in the B string shot, discuss and
hammer. Not to be outdone Alex Pope took the shot, discus and javelin triple
in the A string with Steve Timmins winning the B strong shot and javelin.
With the cross country season just ended BBHAC
athletes have been well ranked in the end of season tables.
Will Fuller was 7th in the under 20 mens category with
his highlight finishing second in the inter counties, while Niamh Bridson-
Hubbard finished 10th in the under 20 womens category with her best effort
being 6th in the national. Sophie Hoare was ranked 12th in the under 15
girls, while Morgan Squibb was ranked 4th in the under 13 girls with her
best run being second in the National.
Rowan Fuss was third ranked in the under 13 boys built
on second place in the national and fourth in the English schools which
gained him international recognition.
Elsewhere Scott Overall will be seeking Olympic
selection in this weeks London Marathon having already running the
qualifying time. Fresh from finishing second in 65 minutes in the recent
Reading half marathon, Scott will be seeking to be either the first or
second British athlete to finish and so gain automatic Olympic selection.
Nick Brooks
