By Lyn Sole
Youngsters from Thanet Athletics Club have competed in this year’s Kent Youth Athletics league.
Held over three meetings, the competition comprises of U13 and U15 girls and boys events, with points totalling from all events towards a final league standing.
The first meeting took place in May at Central Park Dartford, with the U13 boys finishing 4th in
their section. There were outstanding performances from Aslan Gurtkein, Oliver Birmingham and Jasper Neal, all competing in multi events and winning their section of the long jump and shot, to gain points for the team.
The U13 girls finished 4th in their section with Ismae Abomeli, Beatrice Eaton, Isla Muroz-Wood and Ella Cameron, all competing in up to three events each in track and field.
Sadly an U15 boys team was not fielded, but the U15 girls certainly made up for it by winning their section. Again, Lilly-Ann Showers, Poppy Rowland-Hill, Harriet Edwards, Bethany Shimmen-Smith, Eve Seery, Lola Brett and Leoni Ramsamy all performed outstandingly, with the girls taking top spots in the 200m, 75m hurdles, high jump, long jump, shot and the 4 x 300m relay. The club finished overall 4th in this first meeting.
The second league meeting was held at Central Park Dartford in July. Again the U13 boys performed well, with the addition to the team of Sam Hancock and Storm Hards-Atkins. Nathan Clark was the standout athlete in the U15 boys section, managing two amazing performances in the 100m and the 200m. The U13 girls once again exceeded expectations finishing third in their section with added help from Hope Elliot. They won the 150m, long jump and finished first in the 4 x 100m relay.
The U15 girls took top spot in their section, winning events including the 200m, 75m hurdles, high jump, long jump, shot and the 4 x 300m relay.
The final meeting of the KYAL was held at Tonbridge School in August. Although it was a wet and windy day, this didn’t dampen the spirits of the Thanet athletes.
Despite having a slightly depleted team, the U13 girls ran at their strongest to win the 4 x 100m relay, with the U15 girls taking top spot in the 4 x 100m and the 4 x 300m relay races. Overall the team finished third on the day after what can only be described as epic efforts from all of the athletes that attended.
Thanet Athletics Club managed an outstanding third place overall in the league, with many personal bests and club records being smashed during each competition. This is a monumental effort from a small, non-funded club, where all of the coaches and officials give up their time freely to bring out the best in the young athletes.
Anyone interested in joining Thanet Athletics Club, please see the website at https://www.thanetac.co.uk/