There was fierce competition last weekend at the Athletics County Championships (both Warwickshire and Worcestershire). The competition for the most sunburnt spectator was marginally less intense than the competition for the most vociferous! Yes, we were blessed with an uncharacteristically hot weekend which was tempered slightly by a cool swirling breeze. I’m not sure if it was just me, but it did seem as though there was a headwind on both the home straight and the back straight, but we really shouldn’t complain given how unseasonably warm it was!
As junior team manager, I take great pleasure in seeing our athletes apply what they have learnt in training to competition. I know that all the coaches share this view. Training and competition are different. You can not replicate the adrenaline rush you feel in a race when someone creeps on to your shoulder or the euphoria you feel when you jump higher or further than you ever have before. When you cross the line in a race and know that you have put everything you have into the race you have just completed. These are the feelings that we chase as athletes and this is what helps us develop our overall life skills.
Over the 2 days competition, I witnessed grit, determination, elation and disbelief. If I were to go into individual accounts of everything I remember, this would go on for pages and pages. Suffice to say, if you were one of those athletes that felt as though things weren’t quite going your way and you battled through to the end, then kudos to you. The amount of times I heard “I got a PB!” over the weekend was remarkable. Athletes went faster, threw farther, jumped higher than they ever have done before.
To add to the athletics performances, this was our best turn-out as a club at the county championships in terms of number of athletes taking part. Whilst athletics can feel like an individual sport, when we have so many of our athletes out there, we truly do feel like a team. One of the best things I saw over the weekend was the way that the more experienced athletes helped the newer athletes get prepped for their events and gave them advice and support. There was a genuine desire to help each other out, it was great to see. I also overheard some of the inane conversations going on between the u13 boys, truly remarkable the amount of rubbish they can say between themselves!!!
As above, I can’t mention all individual performances, it would take me too long to go through each and every medal, PB and standout performance. I will mention the 3 club records that were broken though:
1: Araya Williams – u13g 100m – 13.05
2: George Wrigley – u11b 600m – 1:56.18
3: Nya Williams – u11g 600m – 1:54.22
Whilst I can’t mention individuals, I can shamelessly paste in from Gordon’s spreadsheet, a handy summary! The following is all Gordon’s hard work, i’m eternally grateful. Well done everyone, keep getting out there and let’s make it a season to remember!
The following courtesy of Gordon Ainsley:
At the Warwickshire we had 7 gold, 8 silver , 13 bronze, 12 4ths, 16 5ths and 9 6ths
At the Worcestershire we had 2 gold, 1 silver and 2 bronze
| Warwickshire Championships | Nuneaton | May 11/12th | ||
| Jack Price | U17M | 800m | 1st | 2m 07.02s (pb) |
| Bonheur Tshibola | U20W | 100mH | 1st | 15.36s (pb) |
| Hiba Bailey | U13G | DT | 1st | 13.91m(pb) |
| Joshua Taylor | U15B | 3000m | 1st | 10m 18.74s (pb) |
| Elliot Jones | U13B | LJ | 1st | 4.65m |
| Araya Williams | U13G | 100m | 1st | 13.05s (club rec) |
| Jai Lewis | U15B | DT | 1st | 33.57m (pb) |
| Will Tinsley | U13B | 75mH | 2nd | 14.58s (pb) |
| Matthew Morris | U17M | PV | 2nd | 3.00m |
| Josephine Colclough | U13G | HJ | 2nd | 1.30m |
| Niamh O’Carroll | U15G | DT | 2nd | 17.76m |
| Chris Stockdale | M40 | 3000m | 2nd | 9m 55.82s |
| Orla Woodman | U13G | 1500m | 2nd | 5m 31.44s (pb) |
| Tywana Kuluziza | U20W | 100m | 2nd | 12.79s |
| Palia Elsie Kalala | U13G | SP | 2nd | 6.83m |
| Erin Colclough | U13G | 70m H | 3rd | 13.01s (12.87s ht pb) |
| Robert Lee | U17M | 100mH | 3rd | 14.64s (pb) |
| Jaya Bathgate | U13G | HJ | 3rd | 1.25m |
| Nathaniel Walker | U20M | 100m | 3rd | 11.56s |
| Dominic Moynahan | U15B | 300m | 3rd | 42.41s ( 41.30s ht (pb) |
| Erin Colclough | U13G | 200m | 3rd | 30.21s (pb) |
| Tyana Kuluziza | U20W | 200m | 3rd | 26.35s |
| Amira Emery | U15G | 1500m | 3rd | 5m 11.86s (pb) |
| Elliot Jones | U13B | 200m | 3rd | 29.60s (pb) |
| Josephine Colclough | U13g | SP | 3rd | 5.98m |
| Jack Price | U17M | 1500m | 3rd | 4m 16.63s |
| Dominic Moynahan | U15B | HJ | 3rd | 1.58m |
| Lily Smith | U20W | LJ | 3rd | 4.92m |
| Gabrielle Blake | U15G | SP | 3rd | 6.80m |
| Erin McDaid | U15G | 75mH | 4th | 13.30s (12,79s pb) |
| Evie Rendell | U17G | 80mH | 4th | 13.08s (pb) |
| Aedyn Gaston | U15B | 100m | 4th | 12.42s |
| Muayyad Mohammed | U15B | LJ | 4th | 4.85m |
| Dominic Moynahan | U15B | JT | 4th | 30.53m |
| Nancy Foster Jones | U17W | 100m | 4th | 12.65s (12.64s ht) |
| Leo Rice | U13B | 200m | 4th | 30.08s (pb) |
| Aedyn Gaston | U15B | 200m | 4th | 25.04s |
| Nathaniel Walker | U20M | 200m | 4th | 23.28s |
| Zelia Dussol | U15G | 300m | 4th | 45.67s |
| Shadonnae Nwanaforo | U20W | 400m | 4th | 63.15s (61.36s ht|) |
| Louisa Bando | U20W | LJ | 4th | 4.70m |
| Josephine Colclough | U13G | 70mH | 5th | 13.31s (13.17s ht pb) |
| Elliot Jones | U13B | 75mH | 5th | 15.04s (pb) |
| Elliot Jones | U13B | 100mH | 5th | 14.38s (pb) |
| Leanna Rendell | U15G | DT | 5th | 15.25m (pb) |
| Noor Bailey | U15G | HJ | 5th | 1.35m |
| Charlie Keenan | U13B | JT | 5th | 22.42m(pb) |
| Oliver Knight | U15B | 3000m | 5th | 10m 46.26s |
| Mustopha Bailey | U15B | JT | 5th | 21.05m |
| Sam Noble | U13B | LJ | 5th | 3,63m |
| Amira Emery | u15g | 800M | 5th | 2m 39.00s |
| Ronnie Page | U13B | 200m | 5th | 30.63s (pb) |
| Martha West | U13G | SP | 5th | 4.52m |
| Nianh O’Carroll | U15G | LJ | 5th | 4.20m |
| Daniel Tyler | U13B | 1500m | 5th | 5m 13.50s |
| Niklas Van Mourik | U17M | 1500m | 5th | 4m 22.86s |
| Eben Ashton | U15B | HJ | 5th | 1.45m |
| Noor Bailey | U15G | 75mH | 6th | 14.02s (13.46s ht pb) |
| Kenyah reddin | U17W | 200m | 6th | 26.27s |
| Tyler Ward | U15B | LJ | 6th | 4.33m |
| Leo Rice | U13B | LJ | 6th | 3.57m |
| Kenyah Reddin | U17W | 100m | 6th | 12.79s |
| Louisa Bando | U20W | 100m | 6th | 13.75s |
| Nya Williams | U11G | Quadrathlon | 6th | 170pts (600m 1m 54.22s club rec) |
| Hiba Bailey | U13G | SP | 6th | 4.24m |
| Ben Eden | U15B | 1500m | 6th | 5m 11.79s |
| Worcestershire Championships | Stourport | May 11th | ||
| Jacob Gosnall | U20 M | 400m | 1st | 50.55s (pb) |
| Karl Welborn | M40 | 3000m | 1st | 9m 24.03s |
| Seb Horton | U15B | HJ | 1st | 1.43m (pb) |
| Dylan Teasdale | U20M | 3000m | 2nd | 9m 40.87s |
| Seb Horton | U15B | 800m | 3rd | 2m 28.60s |
| Max Bone | U15B | 1500m | 3rd | 5m 17.69s |
Link to 2024 rankings here.
Link to 2024 club championships here.