The 2022 Hampshire Champs were back to their normal mid-May time slot – and back to pre-COVID levels of participation, although numbers taking part in U20 and Senior age groups was generally was quite sparse. The competition for the JSAC athletes who travelled to Portsmouth was of a good level and there were some great races resulting in 43 PBs and 35 medals. The Club took a really large team of 54, despite a number of keen U17 athletes missing due to GCSE pressures.
Conditions on the Saturday were perfect – warm and sunny with a very slight breeze. Unfortunately that didn’t continue on the Sunday with rain and headwinds starting mid-morning and continuing most of the day. The size and strength of the Jersey team showed with many finals having multiple JSAC athletes.
Highlights of the weekend were:
- A sprint double for U17 athlete Jamie Oldham. His 23.16 in the 200m takes him to 31st in the early season UK ranking and finally gave him a legal, electronic 200m time. Another legal time in the 100m (11.63) was into a -2.4m/s headwind so a little down on what he was hoping for.
- Continued excellent form for U17 Bradley Andrews-Callec with a 5 minute improvement in his 3,000m time to take him to 9:14.36, which had already improved from 9:37.04 in 2021 and placing him 33rd in the current UK rankings. He also improved his 1500m PB to 4:21.63, and just for good measure got a long jump PB too. George Carney took the bronze in the 3,000m improving again at this distance (9:23.82).
- Steven Mackay (SM) achieved silver in the 200m (22.61) on Saturday and improved this with a gold in 100m (11.26) on Sunday. The 100m was an incredibly close race with 2nd to 5th ranging from only 11.75 to 11.78. Steven was joined on the podium by Aidan Loane (3rd, 11.76) and Jonathan Le Grange and Finlay Amy-Smith also made the final.
- Jonty Butler (U20) took 3 medals: gold in high jump with an equal PB of 1.70m, silver in long jump with a windy PB of 6.24m and gold in triple jump with 12.19m.
- Yasmin Lookess ran a wonderfully tactical 800m to take the gold. Overtaken at the end of the back straight, she bided her time and used her 400m speed to overtake Philippa Aukett (Southampton) in the closing meters of the race
- There was disappointment for Daniel Ross (U17) with a ‘no mark’ in the discus, his favoured event. However, a silver in the Hammer with a PB of 33.37 (30th in the current UK rankings), bronze in the shot (11.01) and 2 fourth places in the 100m and 200m somewhat made up for it.
- Zane Simpson’s 4:57.14 PB in the U13 1500m to take silver takes him to 22nd in the ranking for the year
- Lucy Woodward (SW) won the most medals of the weekend with silver in the 200m and 100mH, gold in the javelin and bronze in the shot, showing her move to Liverpool is reaping benefits with improved performances.
- Isabella Gibson (U13) won gold in the high jump with a 1.35m PB putting her 25 in the UK age group rankings. She followed up with a bronze in the long jump
- Lucci Baker (U20) won silver in both the 400m and 800m in her first year in the age group.
- The number of throwers coming to compete has greatly increased from previous years with 7 medals in a range of age groups from 11 throws competitors. So much more to come in this space.
- See full JSAC results and PBs here.
In addition to our athlete achievements, the Club had 6 volunteers gaining experiences at the event and helping ensure the athletes have a chance to compete. Rachel Mauger and Tony Dubras were working towards their level 2 track and field qualifications, which hopefully should be gained shortly.