Photo – Kirsty-Anne Ebbage after winning at the England Championships
Kirsty-Anne Ebbage led the Tonbridge Athletic Club medal collection from the England Athletics Championships, when she won the under 23 women’s Discus competition, on Friday evening. Ebbage set a new personal best of 48.65 metres, adding 20 centimetres to her own club record. The second-placed thrower was Zara Obamakinwa, who had a best of 47.74m, being less than a metre down.
Matilda Secker jumped 1.74m to win the silver medal in the under 20 women’s High Jump, with her best performance of the Summer. Secker also set a pb in the heats of the 100m hurdles with 14.86.
Jordan Chambers had one of his best performances to finish second in the men’s 800 metres, running 1.51.65, after a 58.6 second first 400 metres lap. Ollie White took third place in the men’s T20 para category 1500 metres in 4.36.97, which was just outside his personal best. There were also two medals in the senior women’s 3000 metres walk, which came from a win for Emily Ghose in 16.11.25 and a third place by Grazia Manzotti in 16.53.86.
Earlier in the week, at Wimbledon, on Wednesday evening, a series of mile races were held, with Jack Higgins and Ben Murphy seeded in the fastest race. Higgins finished a very close second, losing by just 0.16 seconds to Ben Reynolds, from Cardiff. Higgins clocked a personal best by seven seconds and broke the sub 4 minutes barrier with 3.58.81. He is now ranked the third fastest ever from Tonbridge AC and is the fifth club member to ever run quicker than four minutes. Ben Murphy placed sixth in 4.06.63.
Ben Gardiner ran an 800 metres pb, when finishing third over 800m at a World Athletics Continental Tour Meeting, in Italy. Gardiner clocked 1.48.43 and remains the fifth fastest Tonbridge athlete ever over the distance.
Also on Wednesday evening, Verity Hopkins and Helen Gaunt had excellent runs to finish first and second women in the Brighton Phoenix 10 kilometres road race. Hopkins ran a personal best of 33.39, whilst Gaunt ran 34.39 to set a personal best and a Tonbridge record for both the over 40 and 45 age groups. Craig Halsey also ran well, recording 33.43 and setting a Tonbridge AC over 45 men’s record by seven seconds.
On Friday evening, at Dartford, the Tonbridge men’s and women’s teams secured the Kent Division One titles, with wins at the final Southern Counties Veterans League meeting. They will now compete in the league final at the end of August.
Above – The TAC veterans teams after winning their Kent Division titles
Above – Jack Higgins (left) running 3.58 for the mile at Wimbledon