Tonbridge Athletic Club hosted their traditional Norman Fowler Memorial Easter Open Meeting, on Monday, with more than a thousand competitors and supporters enjoying the warm and sunny conditions. It was the first time that the meeting had been held since 2019 and hopefully this is an indication to competitors that they will have a full Summer season, for the first time since then. There were track and field events for all ages, ranging from the under 11s through to some over 70 age group competitors.
The 150 metre races produced some fast times, despite almost zero wind to help. Anton Bachorski recorded the fastest time of 16.62, with Josh Shaghaghi at 16.86. Harriet Medlen (under 17) was the fastest female at 19.15, which set a Tonbridge age group record. Another club age record was set by Mark McCallister (M50) at 18.70. Nina Ridge (W45) and Diane Wright (W50) set age group 150 metres records of 22.09 and 22.33, in the same race. Harriet Medlen returned later in the day to set a personal best of 42.24 over 300 metres, where Ewan Wood was the fastest from Tonbridge on the men’s side, also with a pb of 35.31.
Kieran Eland just missed out on winning the 600 metres, where he recorded a swift 1.20.83 and Lily Slack (u17) was the fastest Tonbridge female at 1.46.84. Isaac Arnott (u20) won the 3000 metres in 9.42.24, where Ella Ayden (u20) set a pb of 11.28.85. There were plenty of personal best times recorded over 1500 metres, headed by Adam Singleterry (u20) with 4.13.04, although Toby Bawtree (u15) caught the eye, recording 4.36.48, in his first ever track race. John Harley set a Tonbridge over 70 age group record of 6.16.64.
In the field, Lewis Church Pole Vaulted 4.30m and Long Jumped 6.77m, with Lucinda White clearing 3.00m and Samantha Stubbs jumping 5.18m in those two events. Kirsty Ebbage threw the Hammer 44.74m and Discus 40.79m.
Peter Buxton impressed in the over 60 age group, setting a Tonbridge Shot Put record of 9.92m and was only just short of the Discus record with 33.75m. Saskia Lean and Freya Ridge, both in the under 20 age group, cleared 1.50m in the High Jump. Ewan Dobbs (u15), who is relatively new to the club, was the longest Triple Jumper with 10.45m.
Grazia Manzotti (W50) was the first Tonbridge athlete home in the well supported 3000m walk, in 16.22.17. Although outside her best time, she had competed on Saturday, at Lee Valley, over 5000m and recorded a pb of 27.42.03, which is another Tonbridge over 50 age group record.
Provisional results are still being worked on –
https://data.opentrack.run/en-gb/x/2022/GBR/taceom/event/
Track race videos – https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLQt1MC3OSkv-Gcdz0iEYrZEgBuFhtJMQ0
Cole excels at Boston Marathon
Ben Cole, who a week earlier had helped Tonbridge to the National Road Relay title, travelled to Boston, USA for the famous marathon, on Monday. He recorded 2.28.22, which, although outside his personal best, is a club over 35 age record.
Other highlights from the week included George Duggan running a personal best of 3.41.86 for 1500m, at the Bryan Clay Invitational, in California, whilst Chris Olley ran 13.58.90 for 5000m at the same meeting.
Verity Hopkins ran a pb of 17.05.77 for the 5000m, at Battersea, on Good Friday, whilst on the same day, at the Folkestone 10 miles road race, Helen Gaunt won the women’s event in 59.07, which is a club over 40 record. Dan Bradley was 3rd in the men’s race at Folkestone in 53.08.