Havering Athletics Club athletes excelled in sweltering conditions at the Essex Schools' Championships at Chelmsford on Saturday, bringing home over 30 medals, with 13 golds.
There were rich pickings in the sprints with a 10-medal tally as well as a clean sweep of medals in the Inter (Under 17) Girls' 300m as Olivia Boachie’s late charge overhauled Stephanie Okoro to win in a photo finish, with Uche Okpalauko adding bronze.
Ayo Babatunde won the Inter 200m, as Ridwan Salaam added the 100m title, and younger brother Al-Ameen Salaam was victorious in the Junior (Under 15) 200m.
Cassie Campbell’s PB won the junior 100m in a photo finish, and Karis Thomas earned Inter 100m bronze with a new career best.
Ike Okwudi won silver in the junior 300m as Teddy Mathews took bronze.
And the middle distance events brought three golds and two silvers. Maddie Barker was comfortable winner of the Inter 1500m as was Natalie Sewell in the 3000m in that age group.
Shane Hart smashed his PB by almost eight seconds to win Inter 1500m gold, while Dan Peters won 800m silver, as did Daniel Lammas with a new PB in the junior equivalent.
In the hurdles events, Jacob Blanc started the ball rolling with silver in the first event of the day, the 400m hurdles, while in the sprint hurdles Paris King’s PB brought her Inter 80m silver, with Paige Robinson in bronze.
In the junior 75m hurdles event Beth Jarret improved her best for silver, and Eliza Poulson returned from injury to set a big new PB for bronze.
The throwing events brought an impressive crop of seven medals, with four golds.
There were javelin golds for Bobby Williams (junior) and Oliver Yexley (Inter), with Oliver Grundy winning bronze, both in PBs, and Faith Reilly’s PB earned her Inter silver and was the third longest ever by a club Under-17.
Patrick McLean-Tattan won Inter discus gold, while Hannah Yexley won the Inter girls, edging out Katie Ennis into silver.
Four jump medals went to Denzel Achi and Dikachi Godwin who both set big PBs to win Inter gold and silver in the long jump, while Chris Brown won Inter triple jump silver and Ruby Tillson's PB brought her junior high jump silver.
Essex County selectors meet on Saturday to nominate athletes to the National organisers who will issue invitations to the top 16 athletes ranked in each event to compete in the English Schools' Championships in Manchester from July 9-11.
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