In what was a fantastic two days for the whole Sussex team, Brighton & Hove Athletes triumphed at the 2015 English Schools’ in Gateshead, bringing back four medals, many top eight finishes and a shedload of experience and best performances.
U15 Amber Anning ran a sizzling personal best of 24.75s to win her heat on Saturday morning. Six hours later she streaked to victory in the junior girls 200 metres clocking an amazing 25.04s into a 3.6 headwind. Amber now tops the UK rankings over the distance. After a fantastic run from Anna Short it looked as if she had notched up another victory in the senior girls 100m but the photo finish gave her the silver medal position, a mere 1/100th of a second behind the winner in 12.00s, again into a strong headwind. Meanwhile a strategically brilliant run by Tom Eames saw him sprint to silver in the junior boys 1500m, taking a massive six seconds off his pre Gateshead PB with a time of 4:10.76m – just one metre down on the winner and just 6/100th’s off a certain Steve Ovett’s 45 year old U15 club record! With that run Tom is now second in the UK rankings. Senior girl Katie Garland, in her last English Schools’ track and field championships, leapt 5.65m for bronze in the long jump replicating her medal from 2014.
There was a fine fourth place for Cameron Fillery in the intermediate boys 100m hurdles in 13.34s (13.11s in semi-final) and Nathan Parker, back from injury, finished seventh in the senior boys 110m hurdles in 15.09s (14.81s in heat).Hannah Brockbank, in her first ESAA Championships,reached the final of the junior girls discus and finished 8th with a throw of 29.86m.
Well done to all of the B&H athletes who competed for Sussex:
Junior Girls: Hannah Brockbank – discus, Amber Anning – 200m, Elinor Fitzgerald – hammer, Amber Pennington – javelin.
Inter Girls: Emily Robinson – discus
Senior Girls: Anna Short – 100m, Katie Garland – long jump
Junior Boys: Tom Eames – 1500m.
Inter Boys: Brodie Denholm – 1500m, Cameron Fillery – 100mH, Matt Smith – long jump, Aidan Silsby, – discus, Edan Cole – javelin
Senior Boys: Nathan Parker – 110mH, George Turner – pole vault