Photo – Lucy Tallon
The traditional Easter Monday Open Meeting was hosted by Tonbridge Athletic Club and attracted around four hundred competitors, plus a similar number of spectators to Tonbridge School track.
For such an early season meeting, the weather was reasonable, although a mix of sun, rain and breezy conditions, made it challenging at times.
The only outright Tonbridge AC record to fall, came from Lucy Tallon, who decimated her own mark over 150 metres that she had set, at the corresponding meeting, a year ago. This year she ran 17.98, compared to her year-old record of 18.71. The fastest of the Tonbridge male sprinters was Oli Brooke, who ran 16.75.
Tallon returned later in the day to run 41.16 for 300 metres, where Lewis Collins was the fastest of the Tonbridge men with 35.39. Three veterans’ records fell at the distance to Bethan Armory (over 45 women, 44.99), Wilford Floyd Wilks (over 55 men, 41.92) and Ian Crawley (over 60 men 45.76)
Alexia Scotiniadis was maybe the most impressive of the Tonbridge runners over 400 metres, where she ran a personal best of 58.87. Over 600 metres, Kieran Eland won the fastest race, from Jordan Chambers, as he clocked a pb of 1.19.75. Over the same distance, Lily Slack was the fastest female, from Tonbridge, with 1.36.74. Ethan Rocks won the fastest of the nine 1500m races in a pb of 4.05.25.
Steve Tester set a Tonbridge over 40 men’s 600 metres record of 1.28.23 and Mark Jessup lowered the men’s over 50 and 55 records to 1.39.78.
In the field, there were impressive Hammer throws by under 17s Edward Tyler (44.80m) and Olivia Pilbeam (33.14m). whilst Samantha Stubbs recorded a personal best of 32.50m in the Javelin. Lewis Church cleared a Pole Vault of 4.20m and threw the Shot Put 13.76m. In the Long Jump, Ella Thomas (under 17) recorded 4.76m and Dante McNichol (u20) 6.03m. McNichol also threw the Discus 35.68 metres.
Photos – flic.kr/s/aHBqjBjH6p
Kingston competes at World Championships
James Kingston finished 68th in the men’s race at the World Cross Country Championships, on Saturday, coming home as the fourth scoring runner for the Great Britain team.
The race was held at The Park of Friendship, by the Danube river, in Belgrade, Serbia, on Saturday, with the men’s race consisting of five laps and a total of 10 kilometres. African runners dominated at the front, including the world record holders at 5000 metres, 10,000 metres and the half marathon.
The event was the toughest challenge of Kingston’s career, due to the fast pace from the start, plus very warm conditions. but hopefully the experience will help develop his career still further.