Herne Hill Harriers’ U13 girl’s squad came to the fore once again at the weekend, with both Katy-Ann McDonald and Saskia Millard securing victories. Representing England, McDonald was first at the Schools’ Cross Country International at Dinefwr Park, Llandeilo, clocking 10:48 on the 3000m course. Her victory was all the more impressive because she was racing in an U15 event, meaning she was several years younger than her counterparts.
Meanwhile, Millard was victorious in the U13 girl’s category of the Pentathlon GB Schools’ Biathlon Final at Crystal Palace. Millard had to do a 1000m run in Arctic conditions on the track and ran from the front, winning her heat by 20 seconds with a time of 2.59.76, and winning overall fastest run time for her year group, with the girl in second running 3.16.68. While swimming is not Millard’s forte, she managed to hold onto her lead with a 1.12.75 swim over 100m, meaning she beat last year’s winner, Jessica Mannings, by 20 points to take the National School’s biathlon title with a total of 2542 points.
Further from home, 18-year-old Lewis Lloyd won his first international vest, as he represented Great Britain in the U20 men’s race at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships in Bydgoszcz, Poland, where he finished 77th.
Also on the continent in San Sebastian, veteran hammer thrower Stuart Thurgood won a silver medal at the European Indoor Masters Championship in the M35 weight throw. Stu launched the 15.88kg implement 15.92m, a distance which was not as far as his 16.04m outdoors at Lee Valley with snow under foot a couple of weeks earlier, a performance which won him the British national title. Stu will be a key member of our British League men’s track and field team this summer.
Another weekend winner was senior athlete Ross MacDonald who the Leith Hill half-marathon in 1 hour, 22 minutes, 21 seconds, more than four minutes clear of second place. MacDonald’s time took two minutes off the course record and he then cycled 22 miles home with a bottle of champagne in his bottle rack.