Story By Athlete - Neva Jansen
This season has been one of medals, personal bests and record-breaking performances. SpeedPro athletes ended the summer on a high, with national titles, Surrey medals and a handful of long-standing Hercules Wimbledon club records finally being broken.
Silver and a Club Record for the U15 Girls’ Relay Team
A fantastic team of Amelia Barnes, Beatrice Eminson, Lucy Whorton, and Freya McAndie lined up for the 300m relay at the Surrey Relay Championships at the beginning of September. The girls secured silver medals and broke their club record at this event, taking four seconds off to set a new mark of 2:57.11.
Amelia gave the team a flying start, smoothly handing off to Beatrice, who held their position and pushed hard for the lead. Lucy then ran an outstanding split of 44.4 seconds, an impressive effort given that it was her first 300m in competition. Finally, with a 42.74 PB this season, Freya stormed down the back straight to move the team into second and held off the chasing teams for silver.
All four girls brought the competitive spirit and teamwork needed to medal and break a club record. They executed it brilliantly and showed the spirit of the team that defines SpeedPro.
Athlete Insight: Amelia Barnes
Here’s how Amelia summed up the day in her own words:
“The Surrey relay championships are always the best race of the outdoor season. It is so much fun and brings everyone together for the last race of the season. We also displayed our amazing talent, and it truly showed when we got our silver medal! We broke the Hercules Club Record this time last year, and we managed to do it again this year as well. The whole day was so amazing even if our legs were sore the next day!”
Tommy Crosara’s First 400m Makes History.
To round off his season, after winning multiple U15 300m national titles and setting a club record of 35.74, Tommy stepped up to the 400m. Despite the day’s conditions being far from ideal, he produced a fantastic debut, running 50.45 seconds. Tommy’s time broke the club record of 51.4, which had stood since 1973, and showed just how much potential he has beyond the 300m.
Tommy has had an outstanding season, and everyone at SpeedPro is excited to see what more he can achieve over the 400m in the years ahead.
Other Notable Performances
Alongside the record-breakers, there were some brilliant end-of-season performances across the group:
- Charlotte Gurney made a considerable effort at the Surrey Combined Events Championships in the U20 Heptathlon. Competing across seven events in two days, she won a silver medal. A massive achievement that showed great dedication and resilience.
- Beatrice Eminson was not just part of the relay record. A week earlier, she ran a personal best of 44.64 seconds for the 300m, only hours after racing an 800m. To produce a PB under those circumstances shows her talent; no doubt, even faster times will come.
- Holly Townsend capped off a breakthrough season with her first-ever 400m, running an excellent 62.20 seconds. Again, this came only hours after an 800m. Holly has come a long way this year, and this was the perfect way to round off her season.
SpeedPro has enjoyed an incredible summer, with national medals, club records and countless personal bests. These performances are just a glimpse of what the SpeedPro athletes have achieved in a season that raised the bar for everyone in the group.
