July 24th, 2010 by News Desk
Kelsey Howard and Kate Funnell at Glasgow
ASHFORD AC’s Janine Brown stunned even herself in taking a superb gold at the National Police UK Championships held in Scotland.
Despite awful conditions with rain and wind she claimed victory in the 800m with a season’s best 2:29.3 and also took bronze in the 1500m race in another season’s best of 5:06.3.
The event was also trials for the European track and field championships being held in the Ukraine over September 22-25 but Janine said she was not seeking selection as she needs a break after a long and demanding season with injury and marathon training.
But she aims to be back with road and cross country events for Ashford and Kent Police after her break.
Another Shepway athlete enjoying success is Vicky Silk who was back on form with two golds in Dublin strengthening her claim for selection for selection in the world championships in New Zealand in January.
She threw consistently in the discus to win with a personal best 18.88m improving her best by 84cm and she went close to setting another best in the shot with a winning throw of 6.13m in another impressive series.
She now has two meetings left with the Diamond League meeting at Crystal Palace on August 15 and then in Slovakia in late August for the IWAS world championships.
Kate Funnell and Kelsey Howard represented the Folkestone School for Girls at the Four Nations U17 International Athletics meeting at Scotstoun Stadium, Glasgow with Kate coming fourth and Kelsey fifth.
With race walking an emerging discipline within athletics at the moment, it is quite a coup for the school to have two athletes competing at this level, in the same age group and at the same time being good friends.
Kate also recently competed in the Aviva UK Championships at Birmingham joining Lisa Dobrisky in featuring the club’s colours at the highest level in the BBC televised event.
Tags: Discus, Funnell, golds, Janine Brown, Shot, Vicky Silk, Walking
Posted in Race Walking, Track & Field, Veterans | No Comments »
May 18th, 2010 by News Desk
ASHFORD Athletic Club’s Vicky Silk has started the new season in terrific form with three personal bests in two competitions.
In the Middlesex Parallel Success championship at Perivale she improved in all her throwing events opening up with a superb 6.20m in the shot improving her best by six centimetres and then bettered her previous best in the discus with with 18.05m.
In the javelin she continued to shine following up her massive pb from the previous week of 20.10m at the National Dwarf championships at Birmingham with a fine throw of 17.98m.
At Birmingham she not only improved her best for the javelin, throwing over 20m for the first time, but added the gold in the discus and a silver in the shot.Â
All is progressing well for her forthcoming trip to Manchester on Tuesday (May 25), when she will be representing GB/NI at the BT Paralympic World Team Cup competition.
She competes in the shot and is looking forward to throwing over six metres for the first time in this major competition. This will be Vicky’s third consecutive year she has gained a place in this prestigious team.
Former Ashford field events ace Hannah Hogben has been hammering the opposition setting a championship best in the Oxfordshire county championships with 42.97m to lift the gold in the hammer event.
Hannah, now living in Oxford, also shone in the Oxford v Cambridge University match setting a person best of 44.25m in the hammer but had to settle for the silver medal at Oxford’s Ifley Road Stadium.
Tags: golds, personal best, Vicky Silk
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May 11th, 2010 by News Desk
Ashford U15s who did a clean sweep of the medals in the 3000m walk
ASHFORD Athletic Club had another excellent weekend at the Kent track and field championships at the Julie Rose Stadium claiming 14 county titles and 39 medals in total.
Gareth Morris got them off a fine start taking the 400m hurdles crown in 56.16 and Matt Morsia had a good weekend winning the senior long jump with 6.70m and adding the bronze in the triple jump.
James Phillips continued his progress through the ranks securing gold in the men’s 800m in fine style with 1:59.22.
Young Oliver Williams is a rising star at the club taking the U15 high jump gold and adding a bronze in the 80m hurdles just behind teammate Max Reeves while Callum Shaw added another gold in taking the U15 triple jump.
The club’s new walkers section also shone with three golds, Jonathan Hobbs winning the U17 men’s 3k walk and Kate Funnell repeating the feat with victory in the girls event.
Ashford took the top three places in the U15 girls 3000m walk led by Rebecca Roddy from teammates Katherine Buckley and Megan Lillington. Veteran Gary Macdonald won silver in the M50 walk.
There was gold and silver for Ashford in the U17 women’s high jump won by Deborah Martin with 1.60m from multi-eventer Caroline Hatley and Caroline added bronze in the 80m hurdles.
Rachel Hanagan was the high flyer in the U20 women’s triple jump with 11.05 and added bronze in the 400m.
In the U15 girls Kayleigh Miller-Leslie outpaced the pack to win the 75m hurdles in 12.11 while Sophie Hamlyn held off a big field to win the long jump with a fine 4.44m.
In the senior women Isabel Dickinson took gold in the 5000m and Candy Hawkins won the vets O35 5000m title.
Young Kirsten Hooten shone with a silver in the U15 javelin and bronze in the shot while Nathan Fatola took a fine second in the boy’s long jump. Tom Snare won silver in the U17 men’s shot and added a silver in the discus behind teammate Blake Robinson.
The difficult conditions meant just one championship best fell over the weekend with Amir Williamson (NEB) powering the men’s hammer to 66.62m.
Tags: Funnell, Gareth Morris, golds, Kayleigh Miller-Leslie, Veterans, Walking
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