Thurrock Harriers show great strength in Combined Events.
TAKING part in any athletic event is challenging enough, but five, seven or eight events in a weekend is a tough call for any young athlete.
Four boys and two girls from Thurrock, selected to represent Essex Schools in Norwich, came away with great scores and placings, and have all qualified for the English Schools Final in September, in Bedford.
In the Junior Boys Pentathlon, William Watts was the eventual winner with a personal best score of 2581 points, confirming his position as 3rd best in the UK. His outstanding performance included individual pbs in Long Jump – 5.81m, Shot Putt 11.73m and a powerful run in the 800m with a time of 2:22.6.
Third in the same competition was Stephen Adesina with a pb score of 2377 points and a pb of 12.7 in the 80m hurdles.
Daniel Brown made huge improvements in High Jump 1.56 and Shot Putt, 9.00m placing him 16th. His 2312 score was another pb.
In the Inter Boys Octathlon, Charlie Seago claimed a creditable 5th place with 4001 points, showing he is a solid combined eventer. Charlie battled through a second day and four events with a hamstring injury. Charlie gained pbs in his main event, 100m hurdles, 13.8 and Long Jump, 6.35m. Apart from Javelin and High Jump, Charlie was a valiant first timer in all the other events.
In the Junior Girls Pentathlon, Lucy Chapelhow gained pbs in three of her five events and her overall score of 2531 points placed her 5th. Pbs in the Shot Putt and High Jump rewarded her recent hard work in training. Lucy’s PB run of 2:28.7 in the 800m made for an exciting finish to the day.
In the Inter Girls Heptathlon, Joyce Nzekwe came away with second place in a tightly contested competition with the four athletes from Essex. Joyce’s 29.63m throw in the Javelin and her final storming run of 2:34.8 in the 800m confirmed her second place overall, beating the other team members from Essex. Joyce also beat her best in Shot Putt with a throw of 11.46m and her score with 4354 points, placing her 8th in the UK in this event.
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Also this weekend was the British Athletics UK Championships:
Funminiyi Olajide of Thurrock Harriers long jump performance in last weekend’s championships placed her 6th with a jump of 6.28m.
Funminiyi hopes the distance may be enough for selection for this year’s Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.
Currently at University in the USA, Funminiyi trains at Thurrock during the holidays and is a great role model for younger club members.
