Teens at Gloucester September Open
As we approach the end of the outdoors athletics season, some our Teens competed at Blackridge track, on Tuesday evening :
Aria Stavrakakis
Toby Conway
their coach, Dorian Matts
Also competing were ex-members, Ben Conway and Ben Clarke, so a feeling of deja-vu after Friday's Autumn Open in Swindon. Ed Knight was due to run but hadn't got the Coln Valley run out of his legs, so didn't.
In what is Aria's penultimate appearance for the Club (she is moving on to Glos AC's Combined Events Performance Group), Aria did long jump and 200m, again pushing out her PB in the former. Dorian also did the same events. Toby ran in the mile and got a new PB too (albeit compared to the road). Dorian equalled his Swindon Harriers age group record for 200m, set in June.
In the long jump, Aria nailed her run-up (at last) and got a good series of jumps in albeit initially a bit short of her pervious PB (4.17m). That was, until she had run her 200m, when she suddenly added a foot to her jumps! Her sequence was 4.06 (a good start), 3.94 (a little disappointing - probably trying too hard), 4.01, post-200m : 4.32m (!) and 4.26m. This is a Level 6 jump, and is mid-way between Mimi Van Wyk's U15 record and her older sister, Daisy's U17 record, so really well jumped, Aria.
Dorian's jumps didn't get better after his 200m! His best jump was his "banker" first one of the night at 3.39m and he then no jumped three times, albeit one was 1cm over and another 2cm, and of course they were massive jumps!!! In the end, he was consistent : 3.39, 3.33, 3.34, albeit slightly mediocre.
Toby ran in the mile second final, which turned out to be "the race of the night", with Toby just failing to catch "paced" Lyra Leach (Ed Knight's old rival from Stroud, who has kicked on now she's training with Swindon Harriers), taking about 25m off her in the last 200m. Toby was so fast over the last 250m that Dorian couldn't get to the finish line to film him, although he only had to run 150m (I will let you draw your own conclusions). Toby was convinced he couldn't have gone faster, but did get a good PB of 5:27.1, which is equivalent to a U16 PB level 2 for 1500m (there's no standard for the mile). So, well done, Toby; and I am interested to see how he gets on in the Bourton Mile next year.
In the 200m, Aria didn't get her best start and finished just under 0.5s outside her PB, set in slightly worse conditions at the same track, back in July. But then one can't PB every time!
Dorian was running in the next final, against 3 girls young enough to be his grandchildren (they weren't!) and was pleased with his start, bend and finish, his time equalling his MV65 Swindon Harriers club record from June, which was quite unexpected because his body was feeling a bit battered after Friday's events and the evening's Long Jump. Just as well, it's the end of the season for him. Whereas, for the Teens, there's the small matter of the Avon League match on Sunday.
RESULTS
200m Race 11
Aria Stavrakakis 30.0s
200m Race 12
Dorian Matts 33.6s
Mile Race 13
Ben Conway (Swindon) U16 4:51.3
Mile Race 14
Lyra Leech (Swindon) U14 5:26.7
Toby Conway U16 5:27.1
3000m Race 15
2nd Ben Clarke (Glos) U18 9:38.1
Long Jump U14G
1st Aria Stavrakakis 4.32m
Long Jump (only vet!)
Dorian Matts 3.39m
Comments