Thanet AC Battle Heat In Lewes

Thanet athletes battle heat to secure strong Southern League performances in Lewes on Sunday 21st June.

Thanet Athletics Club produced a series of impressive performances in sweltering conditions at the second round of the Southern Athletics League fixture in Lewes on Sunday.

Competing in temperatures that tested athletes across all disciplines, with a small team, Thanet finished sixth overall with 114 points, while several competitors recorded personal best performances during the day.

The club’s women led the way in the field events, with throwers delivering an outstanding haul of victories.

Under-23 athlete Amelia Lawton enjoyed an exceptional afternoon, winning the women’s A string shot put with 8.69m and the A string discus with 26.09m. She added further success in the B string hammer, where her throw of 38.63m secured another maximum points score, before completing a clean sweep of victories in the B string javelin with 25.11m.

Fellow thrower Isabella Wilson also impressed, claiming victory in the women’s A string hammer with a superb throw of 43.08m and adding another win in the B string shot put with 7.50m.

There was further success for Thanet in the women’s throws as under-18 athlete Gracie Lawton took first place in the B string discus with 19.54m before winning the A string javelin with a throw of 29.38m.

On the track, Natalia Kolodziejczyk secured valuable points with second place in the women’s A string 100m in 14.3 seconds before adding third place in the 200m with 29.4 seconds.

In the jumps, Amelia Lawton claimed third place in the women’s A string high jump after clearing 1.23m.

The men’s team also delivered a series of strong performances despite the intense heat.

Aston Fredericks finished third in the men’s A string 100m in 11.7 seconds before producing one of Thanet’s best performances of the day in the high jump, clearing 1.78m to take second place.

Middle-distance runner Oliver Jones secured third place in the men’s A string 800m, crossing the line in 2:08.7 seconds, recording a new personal best doing so.

Teenage thrower Richard Faraday was among the busiest competitors of the meeting, taking victory in the men’s A string hammer with a throw of 27.67m. He also finished fourth in the shot put with 8.55m, fifth in the discus with 23.04m and fifth in the javelin with 27.69m.

Thanet’s strength in the throws was further highlighted by Alex Dean, who finished second in the men’s B string discus with 20.51m, first in the B string hammer with 17.56m and second in the B string javelin with 27.60m.

Veteran athlete and club chairman Julien Lawton added another event win for the club, taking first place in the men’s B string shot put with a throw of 7.21m.

With temperatures soaring throughout the day, Thanet athletes showed impressive resilience and versatility across the programme, with several competitors returning home with personal best performances alongside valuable league points.

Thanet AC athletes will now start to prepare for their next months match in Hastings.

• James Bridge