Herne Hill Harriers World Athletics Championship sprinter Kristal Awuah was the winner of the main Sports Person of the Year accolade at Friday’s Active Wandsworth Annual Awards evening, a title she took over from last year’s winner England rugby World Cup finalist Kyle Sinckler.
Awuah represented Great Britain at both the World Championship in Doha and the European Under 23 Championship in Sweden in 2019 as she stepped up successfully from the junior ranks to top level senior athletics competition.
Herne Hill’s throws coach Anthony Soalla Bell was awarded the Volunteer of the Year for his work with Harriers young shot putters and also as a coach to the club’s Italian international thrower Michella Obijiaku. Soalla Bell is also a team manager for the London Schools Athletics team at the English Schools Championship annually.
Herne Hill athletes produced some very good results in London at the Frank Harmer 10km, the London Big Half Marathon and the Masters inter area indoor meet. There was also one very good performance further north at the Trafford 10km road race.
In Brockwell Park the club played host to the annual Frank Harmer 10km road race. Jeff Cunningham led the winning Harriers team placing third in 36:10 in a race won by a man who a week earlier had finished tenth in the National Cross Country championship. Eoin Brady ran well to come fourth on Sunday in 36:41 and Jonathan Ratcliffe completed the club scoring A team in sixth and first M50 in 38:10.
Julia Wedmore brought home the winning women’s team and her 38:57 was just one second outside her best time set on a similar course in the same park. Wedmore placed second woman, Helen Oldfield was third woman and first W45 in 42:54 and Karen Ellison fourth woman in 43:38 for almost complete team and individual domination.
At the Vitality Big Half which finished by the Cutty Sark, Nick Bester went sub 70 for the first time placing 56th in a strong field in 69:41, followed by good PB runs from Andrew Grigg 71:43, Jack Brotchie 72:45, and a massive PB for Marc Geraghty 75:26.
Next to finish saw excellent PBs from top women Steph McCall 75:41 (14th woman), Jessica Craig 76:12 (16th woman), chases home by Eriç Dol 76:50 and Paul Calver 77:09. Joe Elliott was next with 77:43, Matt Cartwright 79:39 and Richard Keeble was also sub 80 with 79:44, Duane Matthews finishing just outside that landmark with his 80:02.
Charlie Osborne ran 82;07, Robert Edwards 84:17, Mark Preskett 85:01, Fraser Hagell 85:12 Lara Langston 88:04, Patrik Ewe 90:14, Craig Barney 90:18 and Rob Harrison 93:14.
In Manchester Andrew Warburton ran a big PB of 31:59 in the Trafford 10k around a course which although fast in theory was actually under water in places.
Indoors at the Lee Valley Masters Inter Area match W35 European double silver medalist Fiona de Mauny, who just over a year ago was first woman at the Brighton half marathon this year ran another outright 200m PB of 27.88. She followed this up with week an indoor 400m PB, her 58.53 being faster than she ran outdoors last year when winning a European medal. A master at all race distances in all senses of the word.
European Masters M50 outdoor 200m champion Giuseppe Minetti won his 200m race in a season’s best 24.62 as he also shows no signs of slowing down with age.
M45 Simon Coombes ran 1500m in 4:18and 3000m in 9:16 and M55 Gary Ironmonger clocked 4:42 for 1500m which was a season’s best followed by a very good 800m in 2:17 finishing strongly with a 67 seconds final 400m.
These athletes will again be competing at Lee Valley this coming weekend at the BMAF British Indoor Championship.