Flying Start to the Indoor Season
In her first final over 300m, on her first day competing as an Under 15 – Amber Anning yesterday became SEAA U15G 300m Champion. Watched by coach Pat Apantaku, Amber ran a confident heat in 43.99 to qualify fastest. Nearly two hours later, drawn in lane 5 against strong competition, the youngster managed to hold onto an early lead to cross the line nearly half a second clear of her rivals taking gold in a time of 43.59 seconds.
Steff Paraskevas – a stalwart of the B&H XC team – decided to try racing indoors this season. Arriving at the superb indoor 200m facility was a trip down memory for Steff who had last competed at Lee Valley as an Under 11 in the Tom Pink Relays. Now 16 she was one of the youngest competitors in the U20W 800 meters. Drawn in lane 4 she kept clear of trouble when the athletes broke from their lanes – settling into 2nd place. On the final lap with the leader well clear, Steff tucked into 3rd place and a medal looked certain. The only question was what colour? On the final bend Steff moved up onto the shoulder of the athlete in second place and sprinted to the finish line to take the silver medal in a time of 2:23.97.