Essex Championships (Updated)
In cold and sometimes windy conditions at Chelmsford over the weekend, WGwEL athletes took several titles at the Essex Championships. Several other athletes picked up medals amongst many fine Woodford performances. Three athletes collected double titles. Sam Watts in the U/20 Men’s sprints, Anthony Oshodi in the U/20 shot and discus, and Devon Douglas in the senior shot and discus.
Sam Watts, last year’s world youth championship finalist over 200m, performed well in temperatures barely reaching 10 deg C and hardly helpful for fast sprinting. On Saturday he ran his fastest ever 100m, albeit wind assisted as he took the junior 100m title in 10.76 secs w (+4.5), and on Sunday he took the 200m title in 21.46 secs (+1.2), less than an hour after winning his heat in 21.73 secs (+1.9). Anthony Oshodi’s victory in the junior discus with 48.16m was a personal best, having taken the shot title the previous day with 15.56m. Devon Douglas took both senior titles with 44.50m and 14.39m. Behind Watts in the 200m final there was a personal best for Paul Scanlan who picked up silver with 22.11 secs (+1.2) which went some way to making up for the disappointment of losing out in the U/20 400m to Austin Joseph who clocked a fine personal best of 49.04 secs to take the title with Scanlan taking silver in 49.38 secs, with Tom Larkin 4th in 52.57 secs. A 3rd Woodford athlete made the junior 200m final, as Omolulu Abioden placed 6th in 23.03 secs (+1.4) having clocked a personal best of 22.72 (+1.9) to qualify, and having previously finished 7th behind Watts in teh 100m with 11.44 secs, just ahead of Savion Williams, 8th with 11.47 secs. Adrian Stamp, usually a long jumper, showed significantly improved speed to take the senior 100m title in a windy (+3.7) 10.87secs. Behind Douglas in the senior shot and discus, Chris Linque picked up two silver medals with 13.66m and 43.55m respectively. Tom's sister Amy Larkin was 3rd in the U/20 hammer with 25.19m.
Further field event titles were gained by brothers Harry and Peter Clarke, in the U/17 and U/20 hammer with marks of 53.67m and 57.54m. Behind Harry was James Smith who placed 2nd with 46.07m, while his elder sisters Sarah and Emma took gold and silver – Sarah winning the hammer with 48m, and Emma placing 2nd in the javelin with 39.97m. There were further good throwing results from Youcef Zatat who again improved his discus personal best taking the U/17 title (on Day One, last Monday) with 48.27m, and also placed 4th in the javelin with 35.52m. Joseph Lascaris took the U/15 discus title with 42.94m, and Tom Richards took silver in the U/20 javelin with 51.42m. In the U/13 hammer, Alfie Falconer was 2nd with 26.36m. In the senior women’s discus, Hollie Redman placed 2nd with 38.80m ahead of Jo Duncan who placed 3rd in 38.02. In the U/15 boys javelin there was a bronze for Joseph Bogart with 33.72m, whilst in the U/13 event George Meakin was 4th with 22.04m. In the women's pole vault Kirsty McIntosh continued her encoouraging comeback taking in the title with 3.49m, and in the U/20 high jump, Sam Moodie also won with a height of 1.55m
Other highlights on the track included a silver for GB junior cross country international Ronnie Sparke, who placed 2nd over 800m with a personal best of 1m53.34 secs, with Omar Mansour taking bronze with 1m55.33 secs. Gavin Lewis placed 6th in 1m59.62, and whilst not finishing the final it was pleasing to see Britain’s former number one junior over the distance, Chris Reynolds, back in action, qualifying for the final with1m56.65 secs, but dropping out of the final when in 2nd place at 600m which he passed in around 82 secs. Mansour and Lewis were back in action over 1500m the following day with Mansour 5th in 4m04.14 secs and Lewis 6th in 4m06.04 secs. In the senior women’s 400m, Zoe Watson placed 3rd with 60.02 secs, whilst HCA member Jo Ryan won with 56.08 secs, and later placed 2nd over 200m with 24.89 secs w (+2.5). Clare Leckie placed 2nd in the senior women’s 400mH with 68.82 secs, ahead of Diana Kennedy with 75.95 secs, Diana showed her versatility by placing 6th over 800m with 2m28.99 secs, also placing 8th over 1500m with 4m53.92 secs, behind Georgie-Lou Sales, who was 6th with 4m 44.27 secs.
There were further medals for several athletes, veteran Keuth Newton was 3rd in the triple jump with 13.19m (-1.6), another veteran , Fergus Harford just missed a medal with 36.24m for 4th in the hammer, David Crisp was 2nd in the U/20 long jump with 6.18m, Billy Falconer had a fine high jump competition, placing 2nd in the u/20 event with 1.95m, Rachel Dean who gained two silvers, with 11.02m in the U/20 triple jump, and 4.50m in the long jump, Joseph Dewar took silver in the U/15 200m on Day One with 24.4 secs, bronze in the 80mH with 12.16 secs, and was also in 100m (4th 12.01 secs w +4.0)) and long jump (4th 5.23m)action. Ahead of Joseph in the 100m George Hamilton picked bronze with 11.79 secs w (+4.0) Hollie Pattie-Belleli placed 4th in the U/17 women’s 80mH with 12.25 secs, and recorded a personal best of 47.02 secs in qualifying for the 300mH final, where she placed 2nd with 47.19 secs. Younger sister Hanah recorded 12.79 secs in the U/15 75m H and also 4.37m for 6th in the long jump. In the U/17 women's jumps, Ronan McKenzie took the triple jump title with 10.35m and was also 8th in the long jump with 4.36m. A further medal was gained by Sophie Fuhr, 3rd in the U/17 women’s 400m with 61.86secs, whilst Ben Phillips just missed out in the U/20 400mH with 58.32 secs. Stephanie Howe, daughter of long serving club hammer thrower Chris, gained two bronze medals in the U/13 shot with 6.14m and discus with 15.51m.
Other known performances from Woodford athletes include Adrian Stamp, 4th SM LJ 6.46m; James Stockings 9th U/17 3000m , 9m34.51 secs and 9th 1500m, 4m33.44 secs ( 4m28.33 secs heat); Sam Benge 11th U/17 3000m, 9m58.81 secs, and 2m08.99secs U/17 800m heat; Sidnie Sales 4th U/20 women’s 1500m, 5m12.21 secs; Tyler Brown , 4th U/17 400m, 53.65 secs secs and 3rd 200m, 23.41 secs (w?) ; Hasif Bedford 5th U/17 200m, 23.62 secs (w?); Darren Southcott 6th U/20 800m 2m10.50 secs (2m08.95 secs ht),;Chris Sear U/17 800m heat 2m08.19 secs, and 1500m heat 4m40.93,;Perry Rowan, 4th U/15 3000m 10m14.80 secs; Jasmine Browne, 5th U/15 girl's discus 21.56m; Alicia McArdell U/13 girl's 800m heat 2m42.41 secs; Katherine Birch 6th U/17 women's discus 24.82m; Rhian van-Home 4th U/17 women's discus 24.72m, and Joanne Cywinski 2m37.10 secs U/15 girl's 800m.
Essex Day One results here
Essex Day Two and Three reults here