Photo – Lucy Tallon
Lucy Tallon improved her own Tonbridge Athletic Club 100 metres record on Bank Holiday Monday, at Bromley, when she ran 11.55 seconds. This was well inside her previous best of 11.77, set last month. The time is also 0.1 seconds inside the qualifying time for the European under 20 championships, which gives her a chance of selection, should the Summer go well. Tallon later ran her fastest ever 200m of 23.76, although the wind speed reading was 2.8 metres per second, which is above the limit for record purposes.
The first major outdoor track and field event of the season took place in Manchester, where the British Universities and Colleges Championships took place, between Friday and Monday. Ben Gardiner produced one of the highlights of the meeting, winning Monday’s 800 metres final, having progressed through the heats and semi-finals in the days before. He was representing Birmingham University and won in 1.47.56, ahead of David Race, of Loughborough, by just 0.05 seconds. The time broke the 24-year-old championship record for the event and puts Gardiner third fastest-ever Tonbridge athlete.
Also, at the university championships, Asha Root placed 4th in the women’s 400m final in 55.49, whilst Jamie Macdonald qualified for the 3000m steeplechase final and finished 9th with a personal best of 9.12.06. Steve Simmons placed 9th in the men’s Shot Put final with 12.75m.
The Tonbridge under 13 and 15 squad finished 4th of six teams in their first UK Youth Development League Premier Division fixture of the season, at Woodford, on Saturday. There were a number of highlights from the Tonbridge team. Freddie Keem, set a new club record when winning the under 13 boys’ 150 metres in 19.24, whilst the equivalent girls’ record fell to Lili-Elle Addy, who finished 2nd in her race in 19.58. There were A-string wins in the under 15 boys’ events from Osarode Oviawe in the Shot Put and Guy Bowers over 1500m, where Luca Szumilewicz secured maximum points, as he won the B-string. Laura Wrigley won the under 13 girls’ Javelin and Teddy Adkin won the under 13 boys’ 75 metres hurdles.
On the roads there were a few victories for Tonbridge AC members. Cole Gibbens comfortably won the Whitstable 10k in 31.43, just a week after his superb London Marathon. At the local Hildenborough Road Races, Steve Strange won the 5 miles event, whilst Oscar Cowling and Isabel Gowing were first home in the junior 2.5 miles races.
Amongst other highlights, Nichola Evans finished 3rd in the Great Birmingham 10k, Jake Greenwood was 3rd in the Ted Pepper 10k at Bromley and George Hopkins was 3rd in the Coiners Fell Race in West Yorkshire. Mark Pepper ran a personal best of 2.38.28, when placing 18th in the Belfast Marathon, on Sunday morning.
Tonbridge also had two teams in the British Masters Road Relay Championships, at Mallory Park, where the over 45 men (Craig Halsey, Adrian Whitwam, Julian Rendall, Ed Fraser) finished 4th in their division and the over 55 men (Graeme Saker, Phil Coleman, Mark Pitcairn-Knowles) 5th in their race.