Herne Hill Harriers win 32 medals at Surrey County Track and Field Championships

Herne Hill Harriers brought home a total of 32 medals from the weekend’s Surrey County Track and Field Championships at Kingsmeadow, writes Geoff Jerwood.

The U17 men claimed a clean sweep of the 400m medals. Keeran Sriskandarajah topped the podium, clocking a PB of 50.97 seconds. He was chased hard by both Fred Hake, whose 51.27 was only two hundredths outside his best time and Jon Goldston, who recorded a PB of 51.50. It was a superb follow up to the recent National Athletics League match where the trio were part of the team who set a new club U17M 4x400m record.

The U15 boys picked up seven medals, three of these being gold.

Solomon Thompson-Moodley, ranked equal fourth in the UK, won the high jump with 1.72m. Zico Blake took the long jump (6.01m), which also ranks him fourth. Caspian Holmes won the 1,500m in 4:26.10. Tommy Clerkin was third behind Holmes in 4:36.04, with other U15B medals won by Joseph Ayora Vanegas, second in the shot with 8.95m, Samuel Fuller third in the 200m in 23.87 and Blake adding to his long jump gold with 100m bronze in 11.84.

The U17 men won six medals in total. As well as the 400m medals, Rikaion Smith and Joseph Johnson-Cole scored a one-two in the 100m with 11.04 and 11.18 respectively. Sriskandarajah took home both gold and silver as he also placed second in the 800m in 1:57.29.

Five medals were won by the U15 girls. Ella Rennie won the 200m in 25.73 and took silver in the 100m in 12.58. Jasmine Nkoso was second in the shot with 11.80m ahead of bronze medallist Taliah Fleary with 9.36m. Nkoso also won bronze in the javelin with 26.48m.

Two U20 women took away two medals each in two races. Esther Fuja won the 200m in 25.41 after coming second in the 100m in 12.46 the day before. Joyce Kalombo was one place behind her club mate in both events, with silver in the 200m (25.91) and bronze in the 100m (12.79).

Lucy Wright won the U17W 300m final (42.00) and was second in the 800m (2:18.23). In the same age category Orla Carroll was third in the 3,000m in 10:52.16.

Other gold medals came from Edward Cunniffe, winner of the U13B 1,500m in 4:40.78 and Oluwafikayomi Awolope in the U20M high jump with 1.70m. Two more silvers were won by U20 women Jaydine Robinson with a 5.26m long jump and Saskia King in the 100m in 12.10. More bronze medals came from U13 Zacchaeus Kelman who was third in both the 75m hurdles in 14.72 and the 800m in 2:21.87.

Isaac Ogunlade improved his season’s best in the 400m hurdles (54.43) at the Middlesex Championship at the Lee Valley Athletics Centre to top the podium in his county.

Top sprinter Kristal Awuah elevated herself to equal third in the UK women’s 100m rankings and sixth on the 200m list to date as her season hots up. Racing at the PURE Athletics Sprint Elite Meet in Clermont, Florida, Awuah was sixth in the 100m in 11.38 after clocking 11.47 in her heat and ran 23.42 for a good season’s best in the 200m.

Arlo Ludewick continues to home in on a long standing club men’s 1,500m record as he improved his PB to a rapid 3:41.25 in his heat at the ACC Championship in Raleigh but was unable to replicate this in the final on Saturday where he finished 10th in 3:48.90.

Ore Adamson improved her outdoor season’s best performances with a win double in the long jump on Saturday and then the triple jump on Sunday. At the Conference USA Outdoor Championships at Denton, Texas she jumped 6.22m and 12.69m for a strong showing in both events.

Closer to home on Wednesday Daniel Shaw opened his outdoor account at the BMC Regional Races at Wormwood Scrubs on Wednesday evening. He placed fourth in the 1500m A race with 3:55.92, a marginal PB.

In road racing on Sunday morning recent recruit Morgan Roberts placed a superb second at the Great Bristol Half Marathon with an inaugural PB of 69:27 behind recent 2:16:30 London Marathon performer Alex Milne. Roberts led for nearly all of the first 10 miles, but with the more experienced Milne always on his shoulder the latter then kicked on to win in 68:55. New to racing, Roberts is an exciting talent with huge and potential to progress.