Strong showing at London Schools Champs in Battersea

Herne Hill athletes look sure to have some strong medal contenders in the London schools team for next month’s English Schools championships after a successful chamnpionships at the Millenium Arena, Battersea Park on Saturday 11th June.

There were a total of four national standard performances on the day with the highlight a championship best performance by Zanson Plummer in the junior boys 100m with 11.1, beating the previous best which had been held jointly by David Bolarinwa, now one of GB’s top junior sprinters.

There was great depth in the junior boys sprints with six boys in the 100m final reaching the entry standard and Fawaaz Okunola also got a national standard of 11.3. All the finalists in the 200m final bettered the entry standard which was won by Frederick Afrifa with 23.3 – another national standard although just over the legal wind limit.

The inter boys sprints were also very competitive with three boys flashing across the line in the 100m final in 11.1 won by Tshon Carnegie and there was a good quality 100m hurdles with entry standard from Nic Baker in 13.9. In the field the outstanding event was the shot putt where Louis Keen threw 14.88m.

In the junior girls the outstanding events were in the throwing events where Tosin Babajide finished 2nd with 10.23m and also got the entry standard with 29.74m.

There were also some excellent senior girls performances with qualifying marks set by Gabriella Roseje (Herne Hill Harriers) 11.30m in the shot & Charlotte Kanini-Parsons (Herne Hill Harriers) 37.70m in the javelin.

Throughout the championships there were thirteen champions from the club : junior boys Zanson Plummer 100m, Frederick Afrifa 200m, Aaron Clarke pole vault inter boys Tshon Carnegie 100m, Taj Johnson 200m, Nic Baker 100m hurdles Louis Keen shot inter girls Isabella Broughton Francesca Meade pole vault senior girls Aisha Naibe Wey 400m hurdles Rebecca Zelic triple jump Gabriella Roseje shot Charlotte Kanini Parsons javelin.

15 athletes have been selected in the first draft of selections for the London Schools team for next months English Schools championships in Gateshead.