2018 England Athletics Track & Field Championships

Under 15’s & Under17’s

Bedford International Stadium – Saturday 25th & Sunday 26th August

2018 has been another successful year for the multi talented Shaun Kerry. He won his 4th consecutive hammer title at Mays County championships. August saw him secure his 4th consecutive Northern title at the track & field championships in Liverpool. He was the hammer bronze medallist at the English Schools championships in Birmingham, where the medal places were not sorted out until the final round. His main focus is the hammer throw where he is currently ranked No. 3 in the UK. However he is also a very good shot putter and is ranked No. 9 UK in that event. During the 2018 season he has increased his shot PB by two metres. He was in action on both days of competition, beginning with the shot final which took place on the Saturday. It was a fine day and the conditions were good for the athletes. Shaun threw a new PB of 14.65 metres, an improvement of 35 cm, which gave him 5th place. Sunday’s competition took place in horrendous conditions, winds and teaming rain made life extremely difficult for all of the athletes. Shaun was in competition in Sundays hammer final where his throw of 67.15 metres gave him the silver medal. Two of his old rivals were also among the medals, Kenneth Ikeji of Basildon took the gold and Jack Lambert of Kidderminster & Stourport was the bronze medallist.

Holly Adams is another athlete who has enjoyed a superb 2018 campaign. She was the shot bronze medallist at January’s Northern indoor  championships, quickly followed by a silver medal at the England indoor championships. The Humberside county championships saw her take shot and discus gold medals. Invited to compete at the North Yorkshire County Schools championships, she took the shot and discus titles. Two more gold medals in shot and discus were secured at the Northern track & field championships. Holly elected to compete in Sunday’s discus final where she produced a huge new PB of 33.06 metres, an improvement of 1.42 metres, to take the bronze medal. This performance saw her enter the top 10 rankings, where she stands at No. 7 UK.

First year under 17 Ben Copley, won his third consecutive discus title at this May’s County championship meeting. He too was invited to the North Yorkshire schools championships, where he won the discus and javelin titles. The Northern track & field Championships saw him take the discus gold and javelin bronze medals. He was in competition on both days in Bedford. Saturday saw him throwing in the discus final, where his effort of 44.78 metres gave him 4th place in the event. In Sunday’s javelin final, he took another 4th place finish, launching it out to a distance of 53.70 metres.

Becky Chivers had the worst of the weekend’s weather conditions to contend with as persistent rain and a swirling wind made life difficult for the under 17 women’s javelin throwers. The winner of the silver medal in the recent Northern Championships made light of the conditions smashing her personal best with her opening throw of the competition. Ranked 19^th in the field Becky defied the form book and at the halfway stage was holding 2nd position with her effort of 39.55m. With many of the girls failing to deal with the tough conditions Becky continued to throw well but eventually had to settle for 4^th place with the title going to Edinburgh AC’s Keira Waddell with 46.41m.

Northern bronze medallist Jodie Martin was making her first appearance in the England Athletics Championships and gained valuable experience at this level when finishing 6^th in her heat of the under 17 women’s 800m in 2:19.17 sec, with her time not being quite quick enough to progress to the final.