There’s usually an excellent turnout from our Junior Harriers at any combined events competition, and today was no exception. Eight of our Under13/Under15’s ventured to Jarrow for this popular event which is one of the final track & field meetings of the season. The event is made up of two competitions running simultaneously; first the Open Pentathlon which brings in athletes from the likes of Stockport, Bury, Liverpool and even Ayr; and secondly the NECAA Championships incorporating the North East clubs. As usual, our juniors gave it 100% which transpired into a very successful day of athletics.
Under 13 Girls It was a great all round performance from our young sprints champion, Kate Williams, with excellent times and distances across the board. Perhaps surprisingly, her least favourite discipline, the 800m, was the one where she achieved a PB – a tremendous effort helped Kate beat the 3 minute barrier with a time of 2:57.96. At the end of proceedings her grand total of 2120 points was enough to take the bronze medal in the NECAA Championships, and 6th place overall. A great result, Kate, well done! For Tori Buckley, this was only the second Pentathlon she had competed in as this is still in her first year at Under13….and showing true dedication, she missed playing in a very important football match to be here!! It was certainly worth it as she managed PBs in the High Jump (1.11m) and Shot Putt (5.66m). She also smashed her total points PB with an impressive 1578 points, to finish 18th out of 26 entries. A tremendous performance, Tori, well done!
Under 13 Boys Having already been successful in Modern Pentathlon and Laser Run competitions, James Wilcock is no stranger to the world of Combined Events. He had a fantastic day with PBs in all events except the hurdles, including a PB total of 998 points. Then to cap it all he finished in 2nd place in the NECAA Championship, 6th overall. Well done James, a fantastic performance! After doing so well in his first ever Pentathlon back in July, Ashton Harrison had got the bug for combined events and was back again here today. He’s certainly proved himself as a good all rounder throughout this track & field season…..and his best event today was the 75m hurdles with a new PB of 16.97s. Although his final total of 729 points was down a little on his first pentathlon, it was still enough for him to take the bronze medal in the NECAA Championship. An excellent result, well done Ashton! For Josh Scott, this was his first attempt at a pentathlon and some of the disciplines he’d never competed in at all! Like Ashton, this is still Josh’s first year at Under 13, but you wouldn’t think it! He ran, jumped and threw with confidence and even managed a PB in the long jump! Unfortunately he had to leave early so was unable to start the 800m, which would’ve been one of his best events. However, it was still a great first attempt at combined events; we hope you’re back to give it another go next season. Well done Josh!
Under 15 Girls One of our most accomplished young athletes, Charlotte Rutter, has been a regular combined events competitor over the last few years; in fact this was the 6th pentathlon she had done this year. More often than not she comes away with a medal or trophy and she continued that excellent record today. With PB’s in the Long Jump (4.79m), High Jump (1.47m) and her best ever outdoor Shot Putt (8.79m) the points were totting up. In the end Charlotte finished a fantastic 1st place in the NECAA Championship, and 2nd place overall. What’s more, her final total of 2700 points equalled the current NECAA Championship Best Performance! Congratulations, Charlotte, an amazing achievement!
Like her younger brother, James, Sarah Wilcock has also achieved fantastic success in the Modern Pentathlon. She’s also a regular face when it comes to track & field combined events, whether it’s for Darlington Harriers or her school. Today was another excellent all round performance with a new PB in one of Sarah’s favourite disciplines, the High Jump where she reached the magical 1.50m! Her final total of 2323 was enough to take the bronze medal. Well done, Sarah, a tremendous effort! Our sprint specialist, Darcey Garbutt, ventured into the world of combined events last season. Today she performed admirably in all five disciplines, with PB’s in two of her less favourite events; the High Jump (1.23m) and the 800m (3:00.92) With a final total of 2121 points, she finished an excellent 4th place in the NECAA Championship and 8th overall. A great effort, Darcey, well done!
What a tremendous team effort from our junior Harriers. With 5 out of the 8 taking part coming home with a medal, it really shows what a talented bunch we have! And those that didn’t receive a medal are all still in their first year of their respective age groups. So the future looks good for our DHAC combined events team. Well done to all that took part. #UTH! ☺
If you fancy taking part in a pentathlonnext season just mention it to your coach. The more the merrier!
Finally, a big thank you to all the parents for sending their photographs. They’re much appreciate