Hercules Wimbledon AC: Six track relay winners at Carshalton event

BY TOM POLLAK

Hercules Wimbledon sprinters claimed a record six Surrey track relay titles at Carshalton last weekend.

Leading the bumper crop of gold medallists were the boys’ U15 quartet of Omari Koroma, Markos Schuchinsky, Shawn Bell and Conor Kelly.

They broke the championship record in 45.31.

With Javon Blake coming in for Koroma, the quartet also took gold in the U15 4x300m.

Freddie Arkell, the Surrey U17 100m champion, picked up a hat-trick of relay gold medals. He anchored both the men’s U17 4x100m and 4x400m squads to victory. In the sprint relay he linked up with Khalid Ali, Marcus Gayle and Njiye Orlu and, with Romane McFarlane coming in for Ali, ensured a comfortable victory in the longer event.

He linked up with Devonte Casely-Hayford, Dominic Smith-Fray and Ryan Facey to help Hercules win the senior sprint relay and with Hazzan Olalemi coming in for Arkell, the club also took silver in the senior 4x400m.

The sixth gold medal-winning effort came from the boys U13 4x200m squad of Torin Cox, Matthew Wehrle, Thomas Whorton and Elliott Turbin. Isaia Drigui came in for Whorton, the quartet took silver in the 4x100m.

Kyra Stone, Darcey O’Shea, Sade Ajami-Akinfolarin and Missy Cooper took silver in the women’s U17 200m relay.

Jenny Steinitz took gold in the senior women’s heptathlon with Mark Andrews and Bryn Cann claimed silver in the senior men’s and U20 decathlons.

Hercules Wimbledon had two winners in last Saturday’s 5km parkruns. Teenager Albane Fery showed a dramatic improvement when she won the women’s race on Wimbledon Common in 19;08.

She improved on her previous best of 21:37 set in September 2019. She was the best of 16 Hercules Wimbledon runners on Wimbledon Common where she was 12th out of 479 runners.

Just behind her in 13th place and second woman was over-45 veteran Gina Galbraith in 19:13 with over 55 veteran Lisa Thomas third Hercules Wimbledon runner in 20:49, the third best age-graded performance of the race just ahead of Galbraith.

Over-50 veteran Helen Davies was also the top woman finisher at Sheffield Castle where she finished 10th of 91 runners on her first appearance in the event in 21:56. One of the youngest Hercules Wimbledon runners in action, 12-year-old Ava McCandie was second female finisher at Bushy Park in 21:00, a personal best for the course by more than a minute. Her previous best of 22:03 was set in December 2019.