In Form Indoors

A handful of the Club’s youngsters rang in the New Year with a medal haul in the Southern (SEAA) U13-U17 Indoors Championships in the familiar venue of Lee Valley over the weekend of 11/12 January.

Matthew Wehrle won the gold medal in the U17M 400m, demonstrating his competition experience as he progressed through a gruelling three-round series of races in textbook fashion, winning his heat in 54.85, and then quickening the pace to win his semi-final in 51.71, before finishing with a PB of 50.85 to take the title. Earlier in the day Ariane Freemantle pulled off a leap of 10.32 to take gold in the U15G Triple Jump.

There were silver medals for Beatrice Eminson in the U15G 800m (in an indoor PB of 2:23.79); and for Jamari Roper in the U13B 60m in 8.33, having produced his best run earlier with a PB of 8.29 in his heat.

Maia Rose Heward-Mills (pictured left with Matthew) won silver in the U17W 60m in 7.72, equalling the PB she set in the semi-final, and followed up with a bronze in the 200m, in 25.48, having run a PB of 25.40 in her heat.

The London Indoor Games

At this time of year major Indoor events come thick and fast. So, following on the heels of the Southern U13-U17 Championships, Club athletes were competing again in the London Indoor Games at Lee Valley, which are effectively the London Championships for the capital's athletes.

In the Senior and Under 20 Games on 18/19 January, Conor Kelly, last summer's European U18 400m bronze medalist, enjoyed a great two days, clocking a new PB of 21.40 over 200m on the Saturday before returning on Sunday to set another PB of 6.94 over 60m; while Freddie Arkell ran a season's best of 21.70,  good enough for him to receive an invitation to take part in the UK Athletics Championships in Birmingham on 22/23 February alongside Chad Miller, who qualifies to compete in the 400m. The following day Freddie achieved a PB of 6.86 in the 60m. Adam Ofeimun also doubled up in the sprints, with 22.44 in the 200m, and a PB of 7.10 in the 60m. In the high jump Mabel-Rose Scales jumped 1.65m.

Two weeks later in the U15/U17  Games (18/19 January) U17 Matthew Wehrle followed his Southern Indoor gold with PBs of 7.42 in the 60m and 22.57 in the 200m.  There was a PB, too, for fellow U17 James O'Flynn of 7.25 in the 60m, which earned him the qualification time for the England Championships in Sheffield this weekend; while Tyler Agyekum clocked a PB of 24.07 in the U17 200m. 

U15 Tommaso Crosara produced his fastest indoor 300m time of 38.33 to place him third in the UK rankings, ahead of this weekend's nationals in Sheffield. U15 Freya McAndie set a new indoor best of 45.02 over the same distance, while Beatrice Eminson (also U15) clocked 2:26.13 in her preparation for Sheffield.


Southern U20/Senior Championships

Ryan Facey found himself up against Olympians Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake and CJ Ujah having made the semi-finals at the Southern U20/Senior Championships, in which he finished sixth in 7.07, after running a season's best of 6.97 in the heats.

In the same heat Joshua Martin finished sixth in a season's best of 7.33; while in the Senior Women's 60m Priscilla Adu-Bobie finished fourth in her heat in 7.92, which was good enough to qualify for the semi final, where she clocked 7.95s to finish eighth.

In the 200m, Khalid Ali finished third in his heat in 23.11 returning a few hours later to clock 23.80 to finish in fifth in his semi-final.

In the High Jump, Mabel-Rose Scales just missed out on the U20 podium, clearing 1.65m once again, to equal the athlete in third place, but finished in fourth having made more attempts.