Great Britain and Northern Ireland’s Nisha Desai became one of the youngest ever European Masters Gold Medallists, when just days into her 35th year, she won the Women’s 400m Hurdles at the current championships, being held in the warmth of Lido De Jesolo in Italy, on Saturday 7th September 2019.
Desai of Trafford AC, and a former Morpeth Harrier, won with plenty to spare over Croatia’s Marina Banovic, posting a finishing time of 61.62s, which was equal to her best 2019, which was set in May’s North Eastern Counties Championships, held at Middlesbrough Sports Village. Nisha was watched over by her very proud Mum Vina, who along with Husband Hemant, who unfortunately could not make the trip to witness his daughter’s success, but nevertheless shared his joy on learning of her superb achievement. Both Vina and Hemant are also respected coaches at Morpeth Harriers, and from time to time, Nisha comes up from her Nottingham base, to lend some assistance to the coaching of some of the Morpeth youngsters, who are hoping to have a successful future in the sport. Several young talents from Morpeth Harriers took part in the annual Junior Great North Run on Saturday 7th September 2019, the festival opener to the big Half Marathon, held on Sunday 8th.
The Junior run, was held on a course on Newcastle Quayside, on a course spanning 4k. In positional terms, Holly Peck was the closest to a podium place, finishing fifth in the 15 to 16-year-old Girls race, behind Gateshead Harrier Ines Curran, who won in a time of 14m13s. Peck posted a time of 15m58s. Other Morpeth Harriers in Peck’s event were Sophie Coaker (15th) 17m00s, and Kate Gaffing (22nd) 18m09s. Ryan Davies was the next best to Peck in positional terms, finishing tenth in the 13 to 14-year-old Boys race in 13m59s. This event was won by North Shields Poly’s Josh Blevins, who clocked a winning time of 12m55s. Another Morpeth Harrier to feature well in this event was Bertie Marr, who was fourteenth in 14m21s. Other Morpeth Harriers finishers were Liam Roche (21st) 14m46s, and Adam Howliston (60th) 16m52s. Dylan Davies, older brother of Ryan, finished in fifteenth place in the 15 to 16-year-old Boys race in a time of 14m16s. This event was won by Gateshead’s David Race, in a time of 12m47s. Two Morpeth Harriers lined up in the Boys and Girls 11 to 12-year-old races. In the Boys event, Ashton Glover finished 107th in b19m08s, and in the Girls event, Ava Woodman finished 123rd in 22m52s. THE GREAT NORTH 5K The Great North 5k event, which was also held on the Newcastle Quayside on Saturday, attracted a total finishing field of 747 runners, including Morpeth Harriers Junior, Brad Brown, who finished in a very creditable nineteenth place in 17m34s, behind winner James Dunce of Tyne Bridge Harriers, who won by a margin of six seconds in 14m36s, from Charnwood’s Kieren Coleman-Smith. Laura Weightman of Morpeth Harriers has won selection to her fourth World Championships,
when the Great Britain team for Doha was announced a few days ago by UK Performance Director Neil Black, himself a former Morpeth Harrier, who had most of his successes in the late seventies early eighty’s, being coached alongside other notables at the time, by Commonwealth Gold Medallist, and club legend Jim Alder. For the first time Weightman will contest the longer 5000m distance, having previously performed at 1500m, firstly in 2013, then 2015, and two years ago in London’s Olympic Park. She has medalled at 5000m, having finished third in the 2018 Commonwealth’s on Australia’s Gold Coast, and currently holds the second fastest British time of 14m51.78s, which she achieved in London in July. Ahead of her in the rankings is Dundee’s Eilish McColgan, who leads the British competing trio, the other athlete being Blackburn’s Jessica Judd, who finished in second place to McColgan in the recent championships, and just ahead of Weightman, who was returning from injury at the time. Weightman will be well prepared for the championships, having selected an African base for her final spell of training leading up to her event, where heats take place on Wednesday 2nd October, and if she makes it through to the final, she will compete again on the evening of Saturday 5th October. Morpeth Harriers wish her well in all her challenges. Ross crowns 2019 with World Championships Gold
Morpeth Harrier's Ross Charlton rounded off his 2018/19 season on Saturday,2nd Septem,ber 2019 by claiming Gold at the UIPM’s Under 19 LaserRun World Championship in Budapest. The 17-year-old, added another major medal to his collection with a superb display in the Hungarian capital. For the first time, the World Championships for both the Junior’s LaserRun and Senior’s Pentathlon were held together. The Combined LaserRun being the final two events in a full Pentathlon, comprising 4 x pistol shooting and subsequent 4 x 800m runs. The field of thirty-two athletes saw Ross lead throughout before coming home ahead of Egypt’s Eiad El Kashef and Yuriy Kovalchuk from Ukraine by margins of 21 seconds and 25 seconds respectively. Modern Pentathlon is the only sport actually created for the Olympic Games. The five disciplines are a 200m Swim, Fencing, Show Jumping and the Combined Laser Pistol Shooting & 3,200m Run. Reaction Reflecting on his performance across the season, Ross said, “This year has been my first taste of international action in Pentathlon. I did okay at the European’s in Lithuania, whilst getting knocked out in the Semi-Finals in the World’s in Bulgaria was a disappointment. So it feels good to round the season off today with a win in my strongest events.” Ross went on, “People often ask me how on earth I find the time to train for five very different events? Well, the answer is that I don’t really do much else! Fortunately, I enjoy all the disciplines which makes it a labour of love. And I have to give a ‘shout out’ to all of my coaches and training partners who keep me going, without them it wouldn’t be possible. So thanks guys, I appreciate all that you do for me.” Article and photos courtesy of John Charlton A North East Youth Development League squad of 146 competing athletes, under the stewardship of Morpeth Harriers Coach and Team Manager Dave Thomas, including 21 from the ranks of Morpeth Harriers, travelled to Cudworth, near Barnsley in Yorkshire, on Sunday 1st September 2019 , to compete in the annual Inter League fixture against Yorkshire and District, and once again, and for the fourth year in succession, came away winners, on this occasion by the handsome margin of 198 points.
It was the first occasion that Yorkshire has hosted this fixture, and they certainly did the match proud in terms of organisation, helped of course by a few officials from North East clubs Birtley and North Shields Poly, who were amongst those helping to run some of the vast number of Field Events, that spanned the three age groups, and two genders. The Dorothy Hyman Stadium, named of course after the Yorkshire town’s famous Olympian, provided the splendid backdrop for a spectacle of athletics, enhanced by the respective excellent talents, who were individually chosen from the league’s eighteen member clubs, to represent the area on the basis of their equally excellent performances, achieved throughout the season just ended. In the case of Morpeth Harriers, amongst their 21, (second largest contributors), they provided the North East with seven individual winners on the day, with three of those athletes enjoying two wins apiece. Six of the club’s athletes also achieved new personal bests, which was in itself excellent, especially with it being very much an end of season affair, plus a varying range of weather conditions, changing between sunny, cloudy, and sometimes wet and windy, throughout the five hours or so of competition. Charlotte Earl and Jessica Gardiner both achieved two victories in the Under 17 Women’s section. Earl won both the Long Jump and Triple Jump competitions, producing respective best efforts of 4.48m and 10.66m. Meanwhile Gardiner won both the Hammer (41.36m), and Discus (31.27m) events. Additional Morpeth Harriers performers in the Under 17 Women’s event came from Amy Lott and Rosie Winter, who both showed exceptional commitment to the cause, by each of them competing in three individual events, and sharing success in the winning 4 x 100m (51.95s). Lott competed in the 100m, 200m, and her favoured 80m Hurdles. She finished second over the obstacles in 12.11s, and although she finished fourth in both sprints, she set new personal bests of 13.46s and 28.41s respectively. Meanwhile Winter finished third in the 200m (28.18s), fourth in the Javelin (19.54m), and seventh in the 100m (13.57s). Nat Arkle won two events in the U15 Boys section. He putted 10.83s to win the Shot, and also triumphed in the Discus, with a best throw of 29.33m. Other Morpeth performers in the Under 15 Boys events were Edward Gardiner, who was third in the Javelin with a best of 25.50m, Dan Waddington, who was third in the Hammer (22.25m), and seventh in the Discus (22.11m), Jack Kyte, who was fourth in the 200m (25.24s), and Ryan Davies, who finished fifth in the 1500m in 4m51.64s. There were two winners in the Under 17 Men’s section from Morpeth Harriers. Dylan Gooding won the 1500m in 4m26.69s, and David Sanderson won the Hammer, producing a best of 24.49m. Sanderson indeed worked his socks off, by also finishing fourth in both the Shot Putt (9.77m), and Discus (27.17m) events. Although he could only finish third, Morpeth’s Daniel Dowd produced a personal best of 43.18m in the Javelin. Victoria Hodgson of Morpeth Harriers was in exceptional form in the Under 13 Girls sprints, where she produced personal best performances of 10.67s and 21.11s in the 75m and 150m events, where she placed second and third respectively. Recent Scottish Gold medal winner Hannah Lott finished second in the 75m Hurdles in 11.88s. Kaitlyn Waddell finished second in the High Jump with her clearance of 1.35m and produced new figures of 7.18m in the Shot Putt, finishing third. Just behind Kaitlyn in the Shot Putt, was her club colleague Georgia Turner, who also produced new figures of 7.17m. Hodgson and Lott also competed for the regions 4 x 100m squad, who won in 56.30s. In the U15 Girls events, Morpeth’s Mia Belton proved to be one of the star performers, producing a personal best time of 43.08s, when winning the 300m. Belton also contributed by competing in the 4 x 100m and 4 x 300m events. Melody Brooks finished second in the 200m in 27.49s, and also produced a best of 17.87m, to finish fifth in the Discus. Brooks also contributed by competing in the 4 x 300m squad. Alice Geoghegan won the Javelin, producing a best throw of 27.65m, and finished fifth in the 200m in 28.32s. Geoghegan was also a contributor in the 4 x 300m squad. Abi Leiper was a tireless worker in the Under 15 Girl events, taking part in the 800m, finishing third in 2m26.27s, sixth in the 300m in 45.84s, and seventh in the Long Jump, producing a best of 4.16m. Rounding off the Under 15 Girls performances, Morpeth’s Olivia Carruthers finished seventh in the 300m in 47.49s, and also finished seventh in the Javelin, throwing a best of 18.63m, and was another contributor to the regions 4 x 300m squad. In closing, Team Manager Thomas, would also like to thank particularly Claire Rutter – Darlington/Allerton, Chris Mole -North Shields Poly, and Jayne Sorrell of Harrogate for their help on the day with athlete guidance, along with numerous coaches and parents from clubs who gave very valuable support on the day. A great day, and another great result. Well Done Everyone!! |
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