Photo – Grazia Manzotti in the walk on Bank Holiday Monday
On Bank Holiday Monday, Tonbridge Athletic club hosted the Mike Rowbottom Memorial Open meeting, at Tonbridge School Track, which saw more than three hundred competitors taking part.
Very warm, late Summer weather greeted athletes and spectators and whilst some are winding their seasons down, others still have competitions ahead. One is Steve Simmons, who is due to take part in an international Decathlon for England and showed good form here, running a personal best and the fastest 100m of the day in 10.89, whilst also clearing a season’s best in the Pole Vault with 4.50m. The fastest female in the 100m was under 13 Lili-Elle Addy with 13.17, which was not far off her own Tonbridge club record.
Some of the top Tonbridge field event performances, at the meeting, included Devon Brewer (u17 Pole Vault 3.00m pb), Joe Stone (u20 Long Jump 6.56m), Bertie Gelder (u15 Javelin 39.16m), Dante McNichol (Discus 38.66m) and Tiffany Oyewale (u15 Shot Put 10.31m).
On the track, Jack Higgins ran his only 400m of the season, recording a swift 48.14 and winning the fastest race of the day. Harry Wrigley ran a personal best in the under 17 100m hurdles of 14.79. Calum Laing (9.20.56) and Amelia Beeston (10.35.79) were the fastest of the 3000m runners, whilst Anna Palmer was the quickest female 800m athlete with 2.19.35. Elliot Green won the fastest mile race in 4.42.21, whilst Guy Thomas (12.09.83) and Emily Ghose (15.48.72) were the fastest in the 3000m walk.
Earlier in the week, at the British Milers Club Meeting, at Tooting, Jack Higgins was 4th over 800m in 1.46.61, behind World Championships bronze medallist Ben Pattison and former World 1500m Champion Jake Wightman. Lily Slack won her 800m race with a personal best of 2.14.49, which was the fastest time by a Tonbridge AC female for ten years. Lewis Mills won a 1500m in 3.53.30 and Max Malkinson won his 800m with a personal best of 1.48.61. Jordan Chambers finished 4th in his 800m race in 1.51.95, before a 1000m in Wales, on Saturday, where he finished 5th with a pb of 2.24.69.
The British Masters Athletics Federation held their multi events and walks championships, at Nuneaton on Saturday and Tonbridge athletes came away with several medals. Mark McAllister won the over 50 men’s Pentathlon with 2734 points and Floyd Wilks won the over 55 championship, with 3148 points. Mark Jessup was the silver medallist in the latter, whilst Richard Christian was 2nd in the over 60 Pentathlon and Sarah Westrap-Boon 3rd in the over 50 women’s Pentathlon. Grazia Manzotti won the over 55 women’s 5000m walk, with a season’s best of 27.50.00, beating all the competitors, including those in the younger age groups.