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Report by Tom Gayle
The second UK School Games took place at Warwick University. After the great
success of of the championships in Glasgow last year the event
which features Britain leading teenage athletes competing in a mini
Olympics multi sport environment returned for its second successive year.
Spread over four days, over 1300 competitors representing the various
regions of the United Kingdom participate in the sports of athletics,
fencing, gymnastics, swimming, table tennis, badminton, judo and volleyball.
Several City of Stoke AC athletes were selected to take part in the
athletics event, which has created last year as part of the countdown to the
London 2012 Olympics.
Star of the show was Ashlee Nelson as she successfully defended her UK
School Games 100m crown. Nelson, the World Youth Championship bronze
medallist was a strong favourite for title especially given that World Youth
Champion Asha Philip was not present. The heats revealed though that it was
not going to be a easy ride for Nelson as she lead the qualifiers for the
final with 11.70, Shaunna Thompson (North West England) and Kitty Eleyae
(South West England) both went under 12 seconds with 11.88 and 11.95
respectively, which are world class times for this age group.
The final went to the form guide though as Nelson took gold winning in 11.66
seconds ahead of Thompson (11.92) and Eleyae (12.10). While the victory
appeared to be comfortable to onlookers Nelson later revealed that she had
endured a poor nights sleep the evening prior to the final due to stomach
cramps, and towards the later stages of her victory she battled through a
tight hamstring making her achievement even more commendable.
Jade Moore finally got the National medal that she has deserved all season
with a phenomenal performance in the discus. Back in July at the English
Schools Championships in Birmingham Moore went away from the event with the
frustrating knowledge that her life time best would have secured her a medal
as she wound up 6th. No doubt buoyed by this frustration and with
the knowledge that it was her last opportunity to make an impact on the
National stage as an U17 she excelled her self in Coventry. While no one
could get any where near Katie Wickham (North West England) who won with a
massive throw of 43.77, Moore lead the battle for the minor medals. In the
second round she moved up into the silver medal position with a new personal
best throw of 36.27. In the fourth round though Rhianydd Parry (Scotland)
had responded to Moore’s efforts and pushed more back down into the bronze
with a throw of 37.57. In a great battle between the two, Moore, who is part
of the extremely talent Mike Morris coached group at the club, responded
again, launching the discus out to a massive 38.49 to retake second place.
This throw added a breathtaking 3 metres to her previous life time best
before the competition, and moved her up to 6th on the current UK
rankings.
The clubs two other medals came in the sand pit as both Ben Williams and
Alice Lennox collected bronze medals.
Young Ben Williams is an athlete in form. Up until August he had only jumped
over 14 metres once in competition (14.04). In August though he has
consistently sailed over the 14 metres barrier to help him collect what is
his second national medal. At the National AAA championships a fortnight
before he placed third with a leap of 14.32 behind Nathan Fox (15.10) and
Kola Adedoyin (14.90).
It was again these 3 protagonists who battled in out for the medals at the
UK Games. Yet again the standard of jumping by this trio was inspiring.
While Fox (London) secured victory to complete a hat-trick of National title
to add to his AAA and English Schools crown with a leap of 15.08, Adedoyin
(South East) was just shy of 15 metres with 14.96 to collect his 3rd
silver of the season, Williams stretched his life time best out to 14.65.
The trio were so good that Williams was over a metre ahead of fourth
place.
Williams produced the best series of jumps of his life (his score card read
no jump, 14.27, 14.43, no jump, 14.52 and 14.65) and is now 3rd
on the U.K rankings. Without wanting to put too much pressure on the young
man, if he and his coach John Crotty continue their great work over the
winter with Fox and Adedoyin both moving up to the U20 age group next year
Williams looks set to dominate this age group next year.
It has been a fortnight of high’s and lows leading up to this event for
16-year-old Alice Lennox. At the National AAA championships she endured the
agonising frustration of placing just outside the medals when she placed
fourth. She rebounded well from that disappointment as last week she
collected her first National title when completely dominating the U17
women’s Heptathlon. At the UK games her attentions reverted back again to
the long jump with her eager to add another National medal to her English
Schools silver. The opposition though included English Schools Champion and
UK number one Laura Samuel (Midlands East) and National AAA champion Hannah
Lewis (Northern Ireland).
It seemed like at the National AAA a fortnight before Lennox was yet again
set to finish in the most undesirable position as Samuel lead (5.80), Lewis
was second (5.78), Lorraine Ugen (South East) held the bronze medal position
with 5.55, with Lennox fourth (5.50). However in the last round Lennox
produced her greatest ever jump as she sailed out to 5.68, a mere 1 cm
further than he previous life time best, but more importantly it snatched
her a much deserved bronze medal.
Other highlights
·
English Schools and National AAA medallists Jade Weston and Matt
Rollings just missed out on a hat-trick of National podium finishes when
both placing 5th in the Shot Putt and Long Jump.
·
Kate Anderson whose training is largely middle distance based showed
her great degree of speed as she again made a National final over 300m and
placed 7th
·
Robert Dean, who will still be eligible to contest these
championships again next year placed 8th in the men’s hammer
·
Both Dave Clarke and Mark Cooper recorded new life time best
performances in the 1500m steeple chase and Pole vault.
City
of Stoke AC Results
U17 Men
1500m s/c
Final
12. Dave Clarke (West Midlands) 4.47.98 pb
Pole Vault
Final
11. Mark Cooper (West Midlands) 3.70 pb
Long Jump
Final
5. Matt Rollings (North West England) 6.65 (+0.7)
Triple Jump
Final
3. Ben Williams (West Midlands) 14.65 (+3.0) pb
Hammer
Final
8. Robert Dean (West Midlands) 48.13
U17 Women
100m
Heat 2
1. Ashlee Nelson (West Midlands) 11.74 (0.0)
Final
1. Nelson 11.66 (0.0)
300m
Heat 2
4. Kate Anderson (West Midlands) 41.33
Final
7. Anderson 41.13
Long Jump
Final
3. Alice Lennox (West Midlands) 5.68 (+0.4) pb
Shot Putt
Final
5. Jade Weston (West Midlands) 10.99
Discus
Final
2. Jade Moore (West Midlands) 38.49 pb
Full
results can be found at http://www.ukschoolgames.com/2007_start_lists/athletics/index.htm
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