Herne Hill Harriers enjoyed a highly successful Surrey County championships at Kingsmeadow with the clubs athletes winning 22 gold medals, 17 silver medals and 18 bronze medals. Our medal haul started in the first track event of the weekend when Alex Brown showed great composure in setting a new championship best performance of 4.54.19 – the second fastest time in the country so far this year – when winning the U13 girls 1500m. Alex stayed off the fast early pace and steadily closed the gap on the leaders to hit the front at the bell and hold on in the final lap.
Alex was one of seven young athletes who won U13/15 races over 800m and 1500m as James McDonald’s middle distance squad dominated the younger distance races. The clubs girls national cross country champions Katy Ann McDonald (U15 girls 800m) Saskia Millard (under 15 girls 1500m) and Eloise O’Shaughnessy (Under 13 girls 800m) all won their races and Paul Burgess (U15 boys 1500m), Feysel Nadew (U15 boys 800m) and Oscar Millard (U13 boys 1500m) were triumphant in the boys distance races.
In the sprints Kishon Allen enjoyed a sprint 100m/200m double in the U15 boys age group and there were wins in the senior men’s 100m/200m/400m from Dele Onifade, Byron Robinson and Nicholas Attwell as well as Gavin Asson-Johnson in the javelin. Other notable wins included Breagha Campbell in the U15 girls high jump, Michelle Watson in the senior women’s 200m, Ade Adeniran in the U15 boys 80m hurdles, Marvin Poopola in the under 20 men’s 200m, Michella Objiaiku in the Under 17 women’s shot, Ore Adamson in the Under 13 girls long jump and Lascelles Hussey in the U17 men’s 3000m.
Our high hurdling was superb as both Blade Ashby with 14.73 and Rushane Thomas 14.71 set championship best performances in the 110m hurdles, Blade in the senior men and Rushane U20 men. Rushane improved his personal best to 14.46 a couple of days later at the Bedford International Games to go 7th in the UK U20 rankings.