National Report

On the last Monday of term, 5 athletes, representing Bilton Grange and the East Area, travelled to the Alexander Stadium, Birmingham to compete in the National Prep School Athletics Competition after having qualified through the East Area meeting a few weeks earlier. There was an air of apprehension and nervousness in the bus as we travelled and all were amazed and a little daunted at the size of the stadium as they entered. They soon settled as they wandered around the stadium, met fellow competitors and got used to their surroundings. Genevieve Barton and Lukas Lakin were to compete first after a slight delay in the javelin and long jump respectively. All started well for both athletes and they should be pleased of their performances especially when the weather turned and they had to put up with a torrential downpour before returning to compete in less than ideal conditions. Genevieve performed extremely well and achieved a commendable 6th place finish, our highest finish, with a throw of 22.56m. Rain and wind are not what a javelin thrower wants although Genevieve managed to produce her best throw after the heavy downpour. Well done! Lukas, competing a year young in the Under 12 age group, was up against strong opposition. However, he performed very well and should be proud of his 15th place knowing that he will be competing in the same age group next year. Next on the track were our two 800m runners, Luca Illien and Richard Assheton. Conditions were not great with the track being wet and temperatures dropping. Luca ran well and finished 5th in his graded race with a time of 2.36minutes. Overall, he finished in 12th place which meant that he finished faster than some of those in what was meant to be the faster race. Richard gave everything in his race and was really up against some powerful competition. Despite his best efforts, he was unable to close the gap on those ahead of him despite running to within a second of his personal best. Overall, he finished in 11th place. Finally, Cosima Berry competed in the high jump and was soaked through after her practice jump due to the very wet mat. This made it very difficult to jump and she should not be disappointed with her efforts, finishing 8th overall (we think, clarification will come during the holidays. Very well done to all those who competed. Best of luck to Richard as he moves on and I hope you continue with your athletics. As for the rest of you, you have tasted what it is like to attend the Nationals now you have to make sure that you get there again next year. Well done!! CJH


Tags: Athletics, Sport