Photo – Dante McNichol, Steve Simmons, Matilda Secker, Harry Kendall at National Championships
The Tonbridge Athletic Club multi-events squad competed at the National Championships, held at Birmingham over the weekend, coming away with four top five placings. Harry Kendall was re-visiting the Alexander Stadium, where he finished sixth in the Commonwealth Games Decathlon of 2022. Unfortunately, his club mate Lewis Church was unable to take part, having sustained a recent injury.
The multi-event competitors have trained all year around, mastering between seven and ten events and created a strong squad of male and female athletes. For example, there are three Tonbridge athletes currently ranked in the top ten in the UK at the men’s Decathlon.
Kendall scored a season’s best of 7515 points, with his best event being the 400 metres, where he was close to his personal best with 48.10. He was in the bronze medal position, after nine of the ten events, but finished 13 seconds clear of the man ahead in the final event, over 1500 metres to claim the silver medal. Steve Simmons finished fifth and was just five points short of his personal best, scoring 7033.
Matilda Secker also won a silver medal, scoring a personal best of 4749 points in the under 20 women’s Heptathlon. Secker had a superb first day to lead the competition, including 14.70 for 100 metres hurdles, 1.73m in the High Jump and 200 metres in 26.24, but was overhauled by the winner Neve Davenport, of Trafford, on the second day of the seven-event competition.
Dante McNichol amassed a personal best score of 6192 points, to placed fourth in the under 20 men’s Decathlon. His highest scoring events came at the start of day two, with a 110 metres hurdles in 16.17 and a Discus throw of 41.79m. Reef Page had started the competition strongly, but had to withdraw, with injury, at the end of the first day.
Also, at the same venue over the weekend, the National under 15 and 17 championships were held. High Jumpers, Ella Thomas and Sam Newton, came closest to medals with 4th and 6th in the under 17 women’s and men’s competitions, respectively.
The British Masters Athletics Championships were held at Derby over the weekend, where Sally Vine collected the most medals, of the Tonbridge contingent. Vine was competing in the over 60 age group and won the Javelin, adding silvers in the Discus and Weight competitions, plus a bronze from the Hammer.
On a very warm Sunday morning, Dan Bradley and Matt Dennis finished 2nd and 3rd in the East Peckham 10km road race.