Mia retains National indoor HJ title
These are unpresedented times for the club. The National indoor age group champs are the blue riband event for young athletes in the indoor season and for the 3rd time in a row the club comes away with a National indoor title, for the last two years by the same woman Mia Judd (Coach Tony Bateman). Mia won the U17W title last year and this year, yesterday took the U20W title after matching her outdoor pb of 1.74m and adding a new indoor club record to her long list of achievments. In echoes of one of the most famous memories in our sport from the mens HJ in Tokyo in 2021, Mia & local woman Callie Coates shared the same perfect record of first time clearances all the way up to 1.74m before failing each attempt at 1.77m and therefore sharing the gold medal.
This wasn’t the only medal of the day as Gracie Osman (coach Andy Fisher) also broke the indoor club record with a clutch jump leap of 5.61m in the final round to snatch the bronze medal in the U17W long jump. This was Gracie’s 2nd clutch jump of the day after fouls in the 1st & 2nd round risked her leaving the competition early. Gracie was also 7th in the U17W high jump the day before.
There were some fine performances from the other 9 young women taking part in the National indoor champs (an achievment in itself with the tough qualifying standards) with injury preventing others that had qualified taking their places in the field. Elsie Brindle (coach Mark Upton) came 4th in the U17W 300m final but can console herself with a new pb and improving her standing as 2nd in the clubs age group indoor all time 300m lists and moving up to around 25th in the World U18 short track lists. Chloe Poore (coach Andy Fisher) ran her 4th consecutive pb in making the semi-finals of the U17W 300m and in doing so went to 3rd on the clubs all time age group 300m lists. Chloe was 3rd in her 200m heat the next day.
Rebekah Smith (coach Dave McManus) made the semi-finals of the U17W 60m Hurdles whre she came 6th in her semi with Jess Howells (coach Andy Fisher) not progressing through her heat after clouting H4 when going well. Jess did however make the top 8 of the same long jump competition where Gracie won bronze. Lexie Trott (coach Tom Farres) was 8th in the U17W pole vault the same position that Amy Wall (coach Andy Fisher) took in the U20W long jump. Esme Buchanan & Poppy Crook (both coached by Andy Fisher) were 8th & 9th respectively in the U15G high jump.
The lows go alongside the highs in track & field and Lily Flute (coach Andy Fisher) fell when leading her 300m semi-final. Lily bravely came back the next day and was 3rd in her 60M hurdles heat.
This will mark the end of the indoor season for many but not all of the atheltes taking part and they can now look forward to spring and the outdoor season looming.