Southern League Match 5
Hemel Hempstead Saturday15th August 2015
Ilford AC finished their Southern League campaign with an excellent 4 th place at Hemel Hempstead on Saturday. This was Ilford’s toughest match of the season as three of the four opposing teams were in the top 6 of the division after the first four fixtures.
Ilford were no match for these three teams, but they had an all day battle with Braintree, with Ilford finally prevailing by 4.5 points, after the final event.
Top performer’s for Ilford were Vicky Onyeka and Krystle Balogun, who both did four individual events and a leg of the 4x 400 relay. Vicky took 2 nd place in the 100m in 13.6 and followed this up with 4 th in the 200 in 28.1. Before coming a top class sprinter Vicky was a thrower and returned to these events to win the shot put with 8.31 and take 3 rd in the Hammer with 24.86. Krystle once again won the 800m in 2.21.3, this means she was unbeaten over 800m in the League this year. She also took 3 rd place in the 400m in 61.5. Having a few hours before the relay Krystle decided to try a few other events and ran a very impressive 200m in 28.6 for second place, before gaining valuable points in the B string shot with a throw of 6.71.
After an injury hit 2014, Kelly Mavididi is going from strength to strength and had a great win in the B string 400m with a time of 63.3, she also ran a great leg in the 4x 400 relay. New member Adaku Okorie gained valuable points in the Long Jump with 2.56 for 4 th, 5 th in the Javelin with 12.07, her most impressive performance was in the high jump where a jump of 1m 25 gained 4 th place, she was also in the 4x 400 team.
The Final member of the ladies team was Naomi Browne who started the day with 4 th place in the Long jump with 4m 38 and was in the lead in the 100m, before suffering a hamstring injury around 80m, bravely she finished in 4 th place.
With more athletes on the men’s side, the workload was able to be shared, however almost everyone ended up doing at least two or more events.
Malachi Harley ran a great 100m gaining second place in a personal best time of 11.7, he followed this up with another personal best in the long jump with a leap of 5m 28 for 3 rd, before running the 3 rd Leg of the 4x 400. Zehn Ahmed also gained a personal best of 24.6 in taking second place in the 200m, before switching to the shot put where he finished 5 th with a throw of 5m 96, before finishing his afternoon with a leg in the 4x 100.
Kelechie Okorie has his usual busy meeting with 3 rd place in the 400m in 50.9, and gained valuable points in High Jump with 2 nd place with a jump of 1m 70, before switching his attention to running in both relays. Competing in only his second match Gboldade Ogunyemi had a solid run in the 400m for 5 th place in 61.5, but was outstanding in the B string High Jump which he won with a jump of 1m 60.
Jeffrey Nkrumah who is coach to many of the athletes had a busy afternoon, firstly helping organise the team, before putting on his racing spikes and coming 3rd in the B string 800m in a time of 2.11.5 which was only just outside his seasons best. He then switched to the Triple jump to take 4 th place in a personal best of 11.56, before running in both relays. Pete Whiting continues to gain valuable points in the field events, originally only coming to officiate Pete ended up doing the shot where he was 5 th in 6.39, discus 5 th in 17.92, Hammer 4 th in 16.56 and finally 4 th in the B string Javelin with 25.56. The final member of the field team was Tony Nixon who was 3 rd in the B string discus with a throw of 13.56
Ilford have struggled a bit with middle distance races this year, but this fixture, the team mangers SOS call was taken up firstly by new second claim member Lee Johnson who competing in his first match took 4 th in the 800m in 2.12.7 before returning later to take 3 rd in the 1500m with a time of 4.38.4. Sam Rahman ran a season’s best of 4.37.2 in taking 3 rd place in the A string 1500m, before following this with 2 nd in the B string 5000m with a time of 17.15.4. James Smith who is currently preparing for the Bournemouth and running 70 miles a week, decided to get in some speed work with a 5000m, where he was hoping to run 16.30, James stuck to his schedule until the last few laps where he fell away slightly but still managed a personal best of 16.36.9. After having a short rest and despite a dodgy technique he completed the 2000m steeplechase in 4 th place with a time of 7.49.7.
Bradley Brown ran in three non scoring races, running 15.2 in the 100m, 20.43 in 5000m and despite an injury 40.4 in the 200m.
Final match position. Dacorum & Tring 315.5, Medway & Maidstone 313, Colchester & Tendring 312, Ilford 161.5 and Braintree 157
Final League positions are not yet to hand, but Ilford are expected to be in 18 th position, which has exceeded expectations in their first season back.
WORLD MASTERS ATHLETICS CHAMPIONSHIPS
Lyon France
The last day if the 21st World Masters Athletics Championship in Lyon, France dawned overcast, cool and still. Ideal conditionals for the full and half marathon races on a wooded twisty turny course in Parilly Park.
Rob Sargent of Ilford AC was on the Great Britain team for the half and he ran a steady race reaching the end of the first lap in 51 minutes in 43rd place in the M60 category. He pushed on the second lap and gained one spot in his age group recording 1hr 46min 12 secs to finish 444th in a field of over 650.
