England Athletics Indoor Championships,
English Institute of Sport Sheffield,
22nd February 2020
Over 1,000 of the United Kingdom’s leading athletes in the under 15, under 17 & under 20 age groups gathered at Sheffield’s English Institute of Sport for the England Athletics Indoor Championships. Many of the nation’s leading senior athletes have graced these championships in the past with a number of World & Olympic medallists among previous winners and current championship record holders. Kingston upon Hull AC members have achieved considerable success at the event over the years and despite difficult qualifying standards they were again well represented among Britain’s best.
Holly Adams, won the 14th major medal of her career, at this National Championship meeting, in Sheffield, where the 16 year old thrower, was in competition in the under 17 girl’s shot putt final. The 2020 Northern indoor shot champion, was in action in a field of 13 athletes, and was involved in a neck and neck tussle with Erin Lobley of Stockport, which went right down to the wire. In the final round of competition, a distance of just one centimetre, separated the two girls, which saw Lobley take the gold medal, with a new PB throw of 13.42 metres, and Adams won the silver medal, also throwing a new PB of 13.41 metres, with the bronze going to Georgia Russell of Walton.
17 year old Jodie Martin took the silver medal over 400m at last month’s Northern Championship at the same venue, setting a new club record in the process. She took on the same event at the national championships knowing that with the quality of the opposition making the final would be an achievement in itself. The heat draw bizarrely brought together 5 of the Northern finalists again, including Stockport’s Natasha Harrison who just edged Jodie out of the gold medal position last time out. With only one athlete from each heat certain to make the final Jodie closely tracked her Cheshire rival for 350m and then used her speed endurance gained from her 800m running to good effect to come through late and cross the line first with a time of 57.15 sec – slightly outside her best but enough to take her into the final. With three of the six finalists having achieved international recognition in the past it was no surprise when the whole field went quickly through the first 200m where the usual jostling associated with indoor running was in evidence as athletes fought for positions going into the second lap. Jodie found herself having to run wide at this point but held her place well despite the leaders opening up a gap which was to prove decisive in the final result which saw Nayanna Dubarry-Gay (Victoria Park & Tower Hamlets, London) take the title to consolidate her position at the top of this winter’s rankings. Jodie came through strongly in the later stages to take a superb fourth place with a 57.97 sec clocking, ahead of England internationals Melissa Coxon (Rotherham) and Hannah Foster (Shaftsbury Barnet Harriers).
Daisy Logan competed in these championships as an under 15 in 2018 but missed the whole of last winter’s indoor campaign due to injury. Now in the under 17 age group and close to regaining full fitness Daisy was a semi-finalist over 60m at the recent Northern Championships and again travelled to Sheffield knowing that an outstanding performance would be needed even to progress through the heats. With over 50 athletes entered 7 heats were required with the leading athletes from these going through to semi-finals. With Daisy ranked fourth fastest in her heat the race went to the form book, with Alyson Bell (Giffnock North (Scotland)) the eventual bronze medallist taking first spot, with Daisy’s time of 8.16 sec only 0.03 sec outside her best and a frustrating 0.06 sec away from qualification for the next round.
Another of Kingston’s under 17 competitors was Amelia Proctor who was making her debut in these championships in her first year of indoor competition. Having sampled national level competition as a member of the Humberside Schools 4 x 100m relay team at the last 2 English Schools Championships Amelia moved up in distance at Sheffield when tackling the 300m event. As with the 400m event only the winner of each heat was guaranteed a place in the final so each race saw athletes running flat out from the start. Amelia produced a good performance, only losing ground in the later stages to finish 6th with a time of 43.84 sec, only just outside her indoor best.
Training partners Tilly Cairns and Libby Hakney, were in action in the under 15 girls 60 metres sprints. Tilly was drawn in heat 2, where she took a 5th place finish, running a time of 8.25 sec. Libby went in heat 4, where she also took a 5th place finish, running a new PB of 8.41 sec, shaving 0.03 sec off her old time, but missed the cut for the semi final. Tilly went through to semi final 1, on the toss of a coin, where she took 7th place, and equalled her PB of 8.21 sec.
Hammer specialist, Shaun Kerry was in competition, in the under 20 men’s 6 Kilo shot putt final, where he took a 5th place finish, throwing a new PB of 15.15 metres, an improvement of 83 centimetres.
