Story By Bjorn Jansen
Wow, what a weekend for the SpeedPro group at the 2024 Surrey County Track and Field Championships. The athletes' preparation over the last two six-week training blocks was done, and the group of 16 athletes, under the guidance of our dedicated coaching team, produced six medalists, 13 finalists, and 17 personal bests. These results testify to our athletes' hard work and dedication; we couldn't be prouder.
SpeedPro Medalists.
Olly Mealor secured a silver medal with a personal best effort of 5.72m in the U15 Long Jump final. The competition was intense, with the lead changing multiple times.
Isabella Harrison ran from the front in the U15 800m final, with some outstanding 200m splits, and held on to a well-deserved silver medal in a time of 2:14.16. We look forward to seeing what times Isabella can produce in this event over the summer.
Thomas Whorton, the silver medalist at the National Indoor 800m, competed in only his second race of the season due to injuries. He produced a performance that earned him a silver with a time of 2:07.06 in the U15 800m final.
Neva Jansen (Lead Coach: Chris Privett) had a busy Sunday with the hammer and discus. In her first year as an under-17, she achieved a personal best of 29.00m, securing a bronze medal. The discus event featured the top throwers in the UK and was a competition worth watching. Neva had a good series of throws, with her second biggest throw of the season measuring 34.14m, earning her another bronze.
Freya McAndie stepped down from the 800m to the 300m after some impressive training sessions and a 44.09 300m personal best at the Lily B the week earlier, her first 300m she has competed in. The U15 300m final was only an hour after the heat, where Freya ran a fantastic race to secure a bronze medal, a new personal best of 42.81. It is worth mentioning that Freya was only 12 at the championships and is a first-year U15.
Notable Performances
Sprinter Tommy Crosara reached the U15 300m final in his first year in this age group, finishing 4th in a personal best time of 38.52.
Beatrice Eminson reach the U15 800m final in her first year in this age group, finishing 7th. Beatrice ran a personal best time in the heat of 2:21.93.
Sprinter Amelia Barnes had a busy weekend, making the u15 100m (13.35 PB) and 200m (27.61 PB) semi-finals in personal best times. Amelia is also a first-year U15.
Keiyan Waikwa also had a busy weekend, finishing 6th in the U15 300m final (43.04 PB) and reaching the 200m semi-final (27.59 PB)
Our U13 Athletes
Lucy Whorton produced another personal best in the U13 100m of 14.18 and made the semi-finals. Sofia Templeton ran a personal best in the U13 800m of 2:37.37.
That One Performance
Progression in athletics plays a big part in building confidence and shows that consistent training and hard work can pay dividends. Mahira Narvekar produced a 3.5-second personal best in the U15 300m heat, running 46.27; Well done Mahira.
All the Results
Medalists
Olly Mealor: 🥈U15 Long Jump: 5.72m (PB)
Isabella Harrison: 🥈U15 800m: 2:14.16
Thomas Whorton: 🥈U15 800m: 2:07.06
Freya McAndie: 🥉U15 300m: 42.81 (PB)
Neva Jansen: 🥉U17 Discus: 34:14m
Neva Jansen: 🥉U17 Hammer: 29.00m (PB)
Finalists
Tommy Crosara: 4th U15 300m: 38.52 (PB)
Keiyan Waikwa: 6th U15 300m: 43.04 (PB)
Beatrice Eminson 7th U15 800m: 2:21.93 (PB)
Olly Mealor: 8th U15 200m: 25.64
Vivienne Jonczyk: 5th U17 300m: 43.73
Allegra Adams: 8th U17 300m: 47.83
Florrie Foster: 6th Shot Put: 7.46m
Performances
Lucy Whorton: U13 100m: 14.18 (PB) Semi-Final
Amelia Barnes: U15 100m: 13.35 (PB) Semi-Final
Amelia Barnes: U15 200m: 27.61 (PB) Semi-Final
Keiyan Waikwa: U15 200m: 27.59 (PB) Semi-Final
Sofia Templeton: U13 800m: 2:37.37 (PB)
Halili Waikwa: U15 300m: 45.87 (PB)
Halili Waikwa: U15 800m: 2:39.02
Mahira Narvekar: U15 200m: 28.81 (PB)
Mahira Narvekar: U15 300m: 46.27 (PB)
Soraya Stevens: U15 75H: 13.32 (PB)
Soraya Stevens: U15 LJ: 4.49m (PB)
Florrie Foster: U15 LJ: 3.96m
Florrie Foster: U15 300m: 47.12