Herne Hill Harriers’ round-up: Nkoso wins pentathlon at English Schools Championships

Herne Hill Harriers’ rising young multi-event star Jasmine Nkoso enhanced her growing reputation with an impressive pentathlon win at the English Schools South East Regional Combined Events Championships in Bracknell on Sunday, writes Geoff Jerwood.

Nkoso’s PB of 3,442 points improved her own Harriers club U15 girls’ club pentathlon record, adding more than 200 points to her previous best score.

Her performance elevates her to the top of this year’s UK rankings for her age group. She is 12th on the UK U15G all-time list and is only 20 points below ninth and 10th all-time, who both had the same score.

Her five events on the day also included another Herne Hill club U15 girls record with a big PB in the shot of 13.67m. This is the second best in the country for her age group this year and is also a new Surrey County U15 girls record.

Her other performances on a truly excellent day were 11.82 in the 75m hurdles, 1.56m in the high jump, 5.36m in the long jump and 2.33.15 in the 800m. Jasmine was one of 15 young athletes from Herne Hill Harriers to be named in the London Schools team for the English Schools Championships next month in Birmingham where she will contest the junior girls shot.

Four Harriers raced at the Loughborough British Milers Club Grand Prix meeting on Saturday evening.

Phoebe Anderson has returned from her American University and at Loughborough she scored a prestigious race win in the women’s A 3,000m race.

Her winning time of 8:58.09 is a PB by more than a second and cements her position in the top three UK U23 women for the year in this event.

This was her first race since her disappointment in the NCAA Championship 5,000m final in Oregon a fortnight earlier and had restored her confidence before she is due to race at the UK Championships & Olympic Trials in Manchester on Saturday.

Sam Bramwell also raised eyebrows in the men’s 3,000m A race as he placed a strong fifth in 8:03.14, a PB by 34 seconds. PBs were also recorded in the women’s 1,500m races Sophie Tooley finished fourth in the B race (4:26.80), while in the C race Lucy Jones was second (4:25.59). Both revised their lifetime bests.

PICTURE: HERNE HILL HARRIERS