Thanks to Dave Brown for providing the end of season update, plus a few sizzling performances in the track and field. Here is Dave’s report on the final week.
Things kicked off at Blackpool on Saturday with the end of season Mid Lancs medal meeting (before the Stanley park track gets a much needed facelift).
Amy Clarke made this her second outing in the league pairing the U17 long jump with her 100m. Celine Obinna-Alo made an astonishing debut for an under 13 winning both 100m & 200m in high ranking times 13.2s & 27.7s; a young lady to watch out for.
The McComb high jumper assembly line churned out three more silver medallists, all performing close to their best Millie O’Hanlon in the U17’s, Dakota Backhouse in the U15’s and Gaby Taylor in the U13’s (who added a gold in the 200m for good measure. I collected it on her behalf and will be putting it on eBay next week).
Ciaran Scroggie produced a fitting 1st-2nd-3rd in the 100m 200m & 400m. This is a tough triple to pull off, but to get PB’s in all three events, on the same day, is really something very special. Don’t under-estimate just how difficult this was.
Over to the throwers who, as is their way, assaulted Blackpool mob-handed; a sort of ballistic hen party.
Anna Peers, not one usually interested in collecting medals, scooped up a gold in discus with another 40m and silvers in shot and hammer with a 32.49m PB (but still some way behind her coach).
Poppy Abraham was second in her debut competition with 20m+ in the U13 javelin and 34.4s in the 200m (that’s a good base for a heptathlon one day perhaps ?).
Becky Mitchell had a double win in the U17 discus and javelin. Whilst her distances were modest by her own standards, I prefer to think it reflects the effort she put into getting an almost perfect set of GCSE results.
Chris Arnold had another double win in the shot and discus with modest distances by his own high standards, but he has bigger competitions ahead.
So on to clan-Swift. Nicola super mum, always putting her daughters first, let them beat her in the shot, discus and hammer for the sake of a peaceful car-ride back home. Beth took full advantage of an off-day for mum to put one over (or, more accurately three over) on her. Both shot and javelin produced PB’s too. Katelyn equalled her best 28.7s in the 200m but, for my money, her best performance was a narrow 37m+ foul in the hammer (thanks to the officials who kindly measured it for us). Ladbrokes have her at even money to be the clubs first ever female 40m hammer thrower. 2 golds in the throws for her.
MarBel Casey picked up three golds for the U13 shot, discus and U15 hammer. But, for her, the bigger event was the Valhalla throws invitational on Monday where she won with a new club record of 35.07m. This puts her at #17 on the UK all-time list, no mean feat.
On Friday Iain Wilkinson took a bronze in the discus at the European Transplant Games with a PB 20m+ throw. This is perfection, a PB in your biggest competition, it doesn’t get any better than that.
And last, but most definitely not least, Harrison May-Joynson was fastest non-final-qualifier at the English U17 Champs 400m with a 51.45s at Bedford. For him too that nirvana moment of a PB in the biggest event of his career … so far.
And so came to pass a very busy, end of season weekend for LP&S on the track. Lots to keep us warm through a cold Winter.
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