The athletics team made a long overdue return to the West Surrey Championships last Friday (6th June), a track and field meeting that sees the winners and qualifying runners-up head to the National Prep Schools’ Finals in the first week in July.
While many of the competitors had trained over the winter months, we could not have hoped for a better day, with Cranleigh witnessing all athletes hit a purple patch and bring home medal after medal. The rush started with a gold in the boys’ U12 1500m, with Joshua D. executing a tactical masterclass, jumping his only real challenger early and effectively time-trialling the final lap. This was followed in the next race, the girls’ U12 1500m, with Chloe B. and Sienna G. working brilliantly together to secure a silver and bronze respectively, with Chloe securing her berth in the Nationals’ team, and Sienna running on a sore Achilles and bravely holding off an oncoming fourth place challenger. Rafi W. then put on a procession for his U14 1500m to bring in yet another gold for the squad. Livs W. debuted in the 70m hurdles, as did Bestan L. in her 75m hurdles, before running a fabulous 300m, as did Hattie B. in the 1500m, both just missing out on the podium, in fourth place. Another fourth was Marilyn M., running in the age group above, as there is not an event for her own year. She put in a superbly strong display in a blisteringly fast 800m and will benefit hugely from the experience when she takes on girls her own age next year.
However, it was not just on the track that the team excelled: Piper D. and Hunter G. both launched their shots out to fifth place in the U14s girls’ and boys’ competition, and Sophie L. went one better, throwing her javelin to a fabulous fourth place in her debut competition. Another debutante was Leonie S., a novice athlete who demonstrated power and poise in both the shot and discus, netting silver and gold respectively, and even threatening the meeting record in an event she had only taken up a few weeks before!
Carter L. competed in the shot, securing a gold medal at the same time as long-jumping to a bronze; a quite outstanding performance and incredibly managing to be in two places at the same time. The final field performance of the day was Sophia T., high jumping for the u13 girls to a meeting record of 1.45m, and that into a significant headwind; a gold medal just reward for someone who has gone from strength to strength over the last year.
As is customary, the relays were the final events of the day: the u12 girls (those aforementioned, plus Amelia B.) were just pipped into fourth place for their race. This followed a glorious achievement by the U11 girls, who, with Evie M., Jessie H., Sophie B. and Arabella P., destroyed the field to bring it home in first place, with the sort of baton changes Team GB would do well to replicate.
All in all, a fabulous day, and an exciting taste of things to come for Sports Day…
