Despite going through multiple lockdowns and a lack of training, Thanet Athletics club have ended the summer season on an extraordinary high!!!
After finishing an astonishing 3rd place in the Kent Youth Athletics League, two of Thanets U13 girls entered the combined pentathlon competition held at Tonbridge School on Monday 30th August 2021. Ismae Abomeli, and Hope Elliot battled their way through a gruelling day, competing in 5 events, gaining points in each. It started with the 70m hurdles followed by the high jump. The next two events were the shot put and the long jump. Both girls were in good places going into the last event which was the 800m. The points were all totalled up and Ismae Abomeli finished in third place with Hope Elliot in a respectable 5th place. Considering there were 21 competitors, both girls and their coach Linda Hardy were over the moon with their performances.
Saturday 11th September saw Thanet send 3 teams to the Kent relay championships held at Sutcliffe Park in London. On a very packed day, with an abundance of teams from all over Kent Thanet’s U13 girl’s teams outperformed themselves taking a silver in the 4x 100m event with Beatrice Eaton, Isla Munoz-Wood, Hope Elliot and Ismae Abomeli safely getting the baton round. Ella Cameron took the place of Beatrice Eaton in the 4x200m, where the team took gold.
The U15 girls were not to be outdone with the team consisting of Eve Seery, Harriet Edwards, Lilly-Ann Showers and Poppy Rowland-Hill breezing their way through the heats and into the finals of both the 4x100m where they took the silver medal and the 4x300m where they came in first, gaining gold and earned them the ranking of 5th overall in the Country!!!! Thanet also entered another U15 girls team into the 4x100m relay, consisting of Leoine Ramsamy, Athena Cromptom, Lola Bett and Bethany Shimmen-Smith, just narrowly missing out on the final, but managed an outstanding run.
The final weekend of the season produced some of the most astonishing performances by the young Thanet athletes. Firstly, Poppy Rowland-Hill and Eve Seery had both qualified to represent Kent in the prestigious English Schools Combined event held at Bedford international stadium on Sunday 19th September. A gruelling day of 75m hurdles, high jump, shot putt, long jump and the dreaded 800m to finish and despite Eve being unwell leading up to the competition, she was determined to do her best on the day, and produced some great performances. Poppy Rowland-Hill gained a host of personal best’s to leave her in 8th place overall, just missing out on gaining her England vest by a mere 168 points. Both girls did accrue enough points to help the Kent team to a bronze medal finish. Lead coach Darren Hatton was over the moon and is very excited about next season for both girls.
The weekend of 18th and 19th of September saw the Kent U13, combined event and masters championships held at Erith Stadium.
In the U13 championships, Isla Munoz-Wood qualified for the finals of the 75m hurdles, just narrowly missing out on the medals before going on to take a well deserved bronze in the high jump with a personal best of 1.29m. Hope Elliot jumped a new personal best in the long jump of 3.96m missing out by .03m for third place. However, she more than made up for her disappointment by taking a bronze medal in the 70m hurdles. Aslan Gurtekin entered the 100m and the shot putt and chalked up personal best’s in both events, exceeding both his and coach Linda Hardy’s expectations.
Harriet Edwards, Lola Brett and Bethany Shimmen-Smith had all entered the combined events championships. This was the girls first experience of the lengthy five events and all out performed themselves finishing in 5th, 6th and 7th to top off an amazing weekend for all Thanet athletes.
A special mention also has to go to Connor Neil and Lewis Parsons both coached by James Bridge who had competed in several events during the short season, both gaining personal best’s in the 100m and 200m, and Lewis managing to complete 7 events at all of the four Southern Counties Team competitions.
Huge thanks once again goes to all coaches, officials and supporters for their continued hard work to bring out the best of the young Thanet athletes, and everyone is looking forward to an amazing season next year once the gruelling winter training has finished.