Eight of our junior Harriers were putting their combined event skills to the test as they took part in the EAP Pentathlon at Hexham last month. For some, it was their first taste of an official Pentathlon; others were more a versed in the ways of a combined events competition, and some had even competed for their County. Whatever their level, it was great to see our young Harriers come together as a team, supporting and encouraging each other as the day’s events unfolded.
For those that had the pleasure, the same event last year was a bit of a wash out; most of the day was spent hiding under umbrellas and shelters as the rain poured relentlessly (you can see last year’s photos of our soaked Pentathletes here.) By contrast, this year the umbrellas were back, but this time they were used to hide from the sun as the summer heat wave continued. What a difference! Some might say too hot for athletics…..but our juniors suffered in silence, just getting on with the job as they worked their way through the five disciplines.
Under 13’s Well known for her sprinting ability, we sometimes forget that Kate Williams is also a bit of an all rounder. She put up an impressive performance today with PB’s in the 70m Hurdles, Shot, High Jump and even her least favourite event, the 800m! She was top of the leader board for most of the day, but was eventually just beaten into 2nd place, with a AAA Grade 1 total of 2210 points. Great stuff, Kate, well done! It was great to see a new DHAC member join the combined events team.
A huge Harriers welcome to Sophia Hill! We’re not too sure on Sophia’s athletics history (perhaps her parents could get in touch and bring us up to date) but she produced an impressive performance on the day. With some excellent results across all five disciplines, including 3rd place in the 800m, her final standing was 5th place with a AAA Grade 4 total of 1655. Nice one, Sophia, great to have you on board! Finishing just behind Sophia in 6th place after a terrific performance was Olivia Bell. A great all round effort with PB’s in the 70m Hurdles, Shot and High Jump leading to another PB for the final total of 1578. An excellent job, Olivia, well done!
It was fantastic to see two of our younger Under 13’s trying out the pentathlon for the first time. Both Tori Buckley and Ashton Harrison have been keen competitors throughout the season, and their enthusiasm is infectious! They both gave it maximum effort, and loved every minute of the experience. With many of the competitors older than herself, Tori did extremely well, and even ran a PB in the 800m, finishing with a final total of 1255 points. Well done, Tori. With only three boys in the Under 13 competition, Ashton was definitely up for a podium place. He was up against some tough competition from the eventual winner, who was a year older, but Ashton certainly impressed, finishing in 2nd place with a total of 792 points. Well done Ashton, keep up the good work!
Under 15’s All our Under 15 competitors are experienced combined eventers. Charlotte Rutter certainly showed that experience today by winning all but one event, and finishing 2nd in the 800m. She equalled her PB of 1.44m in the High Jump and finished with an impressive AAA Grade 2 total of 2610 points, to finish the overall winner! A Fantastic performance, Charlotte, well done! Not far behind, Logan Fawcett put up a strong battle finishing in 2nd place in the Long Jump, 75m Hurdles and Shot, with excellent PB’s in the LJ and Shot.
With an impressive sprint finish in the 800m to end the day, she finished in 2nd place overall with a AAA Grade 4 total of 2083. Tremendous effort, Logan, well done! With just four Under 15 boys taking part, Nat Bell was certainly a medal contender. It was a tough battle against the older boys, but he managed new PB’s in the shot and the 800m which he won after a perfectly timed race. At the end of the day, Nat finished an excellent 3rd place with a AAA Grade 4 total, and new PB of 1988 points. Getting closer to that 2000 point barrier! A great effort, Nat, well done!
It was tremendous to see our junior Harriers competing alongside international athletes in the decathlon which ran concurrently. Who knows, we may have a future decathlete or heptathlete amongst us! Congratulations to all that took part; fantastic performances from all and you have, once again, done yourselves and DHAC proud! #UTH! ☺
To check out the full results click here For lots more photos of our pentathletes in action click here