Photo – Tom Daly winning the under 17 men’s 400 metres
Tonbridge Athletic Club had all their young athlete age groups competing across the weekend, at the first league meetings of the Summer season. On Saturday, the under 13s and 15s finished 2nd of eight teams in the Kent Young Athletes League, at Bromley, where Blackheath were the overall winners. Victories in the A-string events included just one in the under 15 age group, as Genevieve Harper won the 100 metres with a personal best of 12.9. In the under 13 girls’ events, Ayanfeoluwa Afolabi won the Shot Put (6.82m), Discus (17.44m) and Hammer (19.31m), whilst Purdey Hutchings won the 1200 metres in 4.03.5. Victor Watling won both the 75 metres hurdles in 13.7 and High jump with 1.40m as well as being part of the victorious 4×100 metres relay team.
On Sunday, it was the turn of the under 17 and 20 age groups to compete in the UK Youth Development League, as Tonbridge hosted the match. The team finished 4th of the seven competing teams, with A-string wins tough to come by.
From the under 20s, there were wins from Josh Prendergast (3000m in 9.29.08), Jamie Macdonald (2000m steeplechase in 6.14.04) and Oliver Brooke (Shot Put, 11.03m). The under 17s notched up four wins, from Tom Daly (400m 53.73), Joseph Hunt (1500m steeplechase 4.32.44), Lily Slack (800m 2.23.24) and Elicia Lacey (80m hurdles 11.68). Lacey’s time was a new Tonbridge AC record, breaking that set by Megan Southwart 15 years ago. Lacey then combined with Evie Dixon, Ella Shaghaghi and Harriet Dixon to break the under 17 women’s 4×100 metres relay record with 49.44.
Club records for Ebbage and Thomson
Kirsty Ebbage broke the Tonbridge AC women’s Hammer record, when finishing 5th in the British Universities Championships, at Manchester. This added 26 centimetres to her own mark, set last Summer. Ebbage also finished 6th in the Discus with 43.76m, which was not far away from her record in that event.
Noémie Thompson made a return to the steeplechase event after four years, when she finished 2nd at the West Suffolk Steeplechase Festival over 3000 metres. Thomson ran 10.27.6, improving the old club record, set by Nicole Taylor, by three seconds.
At the Battersea 5000 metres races, on Friday evening, there were personal bests for Kieran Reilly (14.04.43) and Lucy Reid (16.07.44) amongst the Tonbridge runners competing on the track.
Tonbridge also had strong representation at the open multi-events competitions, held at Yeovil, over the weekend. Joe Stone won the Inter Boys Octathlon, scoring 4779 points, with Tom Hobbs 2nd with 4549 points. Ella Thomas was 3rdin the Inter Girls Heptathlon with 3827 points. Dante McNichol scored 5493 points to win the Senior Boys Decathlon and Reef Page top scored in the Under 18 Decathlon with 5993 points.
Above – Noémie Thomson setting a TAC women’s 3000 metres steeplechase record.