Eland wins Southern 400 metres, whilst Root improves record

Photo – Asha Root (right) after setting a TAC indoor 400m record

The Tonbridge Athletic Club 400 metres group was out in force at the South of England Indoor Championships, at Lee Valley, on Sunday. They came away from the championships with three medals and a club record between them.

The men’s championship consisted of heats, semi-finals and final all in the space of just over four hours, with only 70 minutes between the last two races. Kieran Eland showed that he had the strength required to cope with this, winning his heat in 49.60 and then finishing second in his semi-final in 48.55. This only gave him a spot in the six-man final as one of the fastest non-automatic qualifiers. He then held back in the final, only making his move with about 100 metres to go, finding a way past the other competitors on the inside to win in 48.65. His training partner, Henry Marshall, who had beaten Eland in the semi-final in 48.48, finished third in the final in 48.93. Dylan Purton made it three finalists and placed 5^th in 50.95, having recorded 48.80 in the semi-final.

Asha Root had just two rounds in the women’s 400 metres championship and comfortably won her heat in 56.01 to progress to the final. In the final she finished 2^nd to Stephanie Okoro, of Havering, in 55.14. This improved her own club record by 0.21 seconds, which she set a year ago.

The only other medal for Tonbridge AC, from the championships, came in the under 20 men’s Pole Vault, where Harry Owen cleared 3.95 metres to finish third.

At the Chichester 10k road race, on Sunday, there were some excellent performances. Mason Willis ran 31.59 to finish 19^th and Dan Bradley 32.14 in 27^th. Alan Buckle set a new Tonbridge AC over 65 men’s record of 41.26, whilst Richard Preston was just 10 seconds away from the over 55 record with 37.07.

The top Tonbridge AC finishers at the British Universities Cross Country Championships, at Charnwood on Saturday were Jake Brislane (22^nd men’s A-race), Amelia Beeston (45^th women’s A-race) and Annabelle Souter (5^th women’s B-race).

Rebecca Morton won the women’s category at the Bedgebury Pinetum 5 miles trail race on Sunday.

In the USA, where she has a scholarship at the University of San Francisco, Rae Le Fae finished 2^nd in Boston over 1 mile indoors in 4.54.45, on Friday.