HAVING battled through terrible weather conditions, Jersey’s Spartan AC athletes returned from the Hampshire County Track and Field Championships with a staggering 68 medals.
With 55 athletes taking part, contending with gale force conditions on Saturday and torrential rain on Sunday failed to stop the Islanders from coming away with impressive results.
Coach Andrew Winnie said: ‘It was fantastic, tremendous.
In horrendous conditions the athletes excelled themselves and personal bests were tumbling - in the conditions, how they managed to do it is beyond me.
‘A lot of the seniors have put a tough winter of training in, working really hard - it’s very early on in the season and it just shows the enthusiasm they have for the sport, their hard work is paying off.
‘It’s difficult to pick out one or two athletes because there were consistent performances throughout.’ From those performances, Jersey’s athletes collected 28 golds, 22 silver and 18 bronze - and under-13 Hugo Barette claimed a new Hampshire Championship record as he powered to a win over the 75m hurdles in 13.56 sec while also taking gold in the long jump.
A number of athletes picked up two gold medals over the weekend in their age groups: Claire Lidster secured senior golds in the 100m and 400m hurdles; Paul Derrien took senior golds in the discus and shot putt and added silver in the hammer; Sophie Twinam, under-20, won the 400m hurdles and high jump, taking bronze in the 100m hurdles; Kathryn Rothwell, U15, claimed golds in the discus and shot and silver in the high jump and Jamie Stevenson, U20, won golds in the discus and shot.
While there were three medals for Molly Jehan, U13, who won silvers in the high jump, shot putt and a bronze in the discus; Zane Duquemin, U17, who took gold in the shot and silvers in the hammer and discus; Amy Dingle, U17, who secured gold in the triple jump, silver in the 80m hurdles and long jump and David Felton, U20, who threw to silver in discus and bronze in the shot as well as picking up an uncontested hammer gold.
Others who took gold include Peter Irving in the senior 400m hurdles; Simon Phelan in the senior high jump; Jenna Murphy, U17 high jump; Lucy Crossman, U15 high jump; Rebecca Houzé U15 2,500m walk; Ruth Stilwell, U17 3,000m walk; Gemma Dawkins, U17 300m; Jenny Browne, U20 Discus; Jason Fox, U20 high jump; Robert Corfe, U13 100m; Nick Wildman, U13 80m hurdles and Becky Slater, U20 Javelin.
In what has been a great start to the season Winnie confirmed: ‘They’re on target now to achieve what they hope to achieve for the Island Games and the Jeux des Iles and they are still going to get better this season - it’s been tremendous.’ This weekend the Channel Islands Athletics Club will be in the Southern League while there is also a combined Jersey and Guernsey team competing in the Young Athletes League.
Article posted on 14th May, 2007 - 12.00am
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