Press Report 30th June 2026
OLYMPIC PARK 5km (ELVIS)
Wednesday 24 June
The latest fixture in this summer’s Elvis series was held on a Very hot and humid evening in the Olympic Park in Stratford. Despite the conditions, there was a large entry of 22 runners from Ilford AC for the event.
On a very successful evening for the club, Ilford had 3 of the first 4 finishers, and a number of age category medalists
First home for the club, and race winner was Shamil Mohamad in 15:45, followed by Philip Ellul in 3rd in 16:37 and Chris Goldsmith in 4th in 16:59.
Philip Ellul
Just 3 places later Fabio Reina came home in 7th in 17:25. Christopher King was next home for the club in 18:16 for 27th place.
With our first 5 runners home being Senior men, the last 2 could not contribute to the team score as at least 3 vets have to form part of the team of 6, therefore completing the team were Stephen Philcox, continuing his great form placing 29th and first MV60 in 18:18, Tomas Krukauskas 30th in 18:24 and Paul Holloway placing 31st and 2nd VM50 IN 18:37
The men placed 2nd on the day and remain in 3rd place in Division 1
Third VM50 on the day was Malcolm Muir placing 36th in a time of 18:43
The women were led home by Alison Sale, placing 38th and 3rd VF60 on the day in 26:33. She was followed home by Rachel Halpin 29:13 for 63rd, Launa Broadley in 31:11 for 72nd and Frieda Keane in 32:03 for 76th.
Having an incomplete squad meant that the women finished 4th on the day, but remain 2nd in Division 2 of the women’s leagues.
Also competing on the day were :- Richard Morris 18:39, Richard Woolterton 19:41, Danny Holeyman 20:25, Peter Clinch 20:46, Adam Coals 22:07, Stephen Lacey 22:50, Steven Horsley 23:03. Steve Chissell 23:39 and Bradley Brown 23:42
Eastbourne 10k
On Sunday in absolutely sweltering baking hot conditions Terry Knightley was the sole Ilford AC athlete to race the Annual Eastbourne 10K Road Race.
Amongst a field of over 500 plus Runners, on an exposed seafront course with no wind to cool the athletes, Terry found the going extremely challenging but still finished in 64th Position to Win The Male Veteran Over 65 Category in 44 Minutes and 52 Seconds.
Southern Athletics League
Ilford AC’s track and field squad demonstrated team spirit and individual brilliance, battling hard to secure a total of 178 points at the highly competitive Southern Athletics League fixture on June 21, 2026.
Faced with good competition, the club walked away with a string of victories on the track and vital, gritty support performances in the field circles.
The highlight of the afternoon belonged to Ilford’s middle-distance contingent, who completely commanded the 1500m. Ronan Edwards and Samuel Crane executed a tactical masterclass in a tactical Men’s 1500m, capturing clear victories in both the A race (4:23.38) and B race (4:31.66) respectively. Edwards also added valuable points to the team tally with an impressive second-place finish over 800m in 1:56.89. James Thake also set a season’s best of 1:59.62 in the 800m and a new PB of 52.35 in the 400m.
In the longer distances, Phillip Ellul added to the club’s 1st placed finishes by easily outclassing the field to take first place in the 3000m B race with a time of 9:26.41, while Shamil Mohamad came second in the A string in his 1st 3000m race in a time of 8:41.31.
The barrier events also provided maximum points for the Essex-based club, as Rhys Edwards (6:49.07) and Joshua Adler (7:04.94) executed a clean sweep across both the A and B strings of the grueling 2000m Men’s Steeplechase.
In the sprints, Fidunu Abidekun proved to be the fastest man of the entire meeting, burning up the track to claim a superb victory in the blue-riband Men’s 100m A race in a blistering 10.95 seconds. It was great to see his training partner Simeon Balson-Jones represent the club again with an excellent 52.00 in the 400m
The women’s squad showcased extraordinary stamina and versatility, led by a tireless multi-event performance from Anna Crawley. Crawley single-handedly covered five grueling track and field disciplines for the club, famously fighting her way to an authoritative victory in the Women’s 3000m A race in a stellar 11:10.30. She also fought valiantly for scoring places across the 400m, 800m, 1500m, and the 1500m Steeplechase.
Sprinter Ellie Wright also shone on the track, securing point hauls with podium-placing performances in both the 100m A (12.69s) and 200m A (25.31s). She was wonderfully backed by Krystle Balogun, who locked down consecutive second-place finishes in both B string sprints.
Field points were hard-earned but proved vital to the club’s total. Throws specialist Omotola Sadare led the women’s field campaign by claiming two stellar second-place finishes across the Discus A (31.04m) and the Shot Putt B (7.16m), before scoring vital fourth-place points in a highly competitive Hammer A competition. Omotola discus throw was a first time over 30 metres which she celebrated in her own unique style. Zahira Campbell-Thomas backed her up beautifully, picking up second place in the Discus B with a throw of 22.77m. Yemisi Furlong-Osabo also gained second place in the shot with a new PB of 10.28.
Special credit must be extended to Akwasi Nkrumah, who encapsulated the ultimate team-first mentality by throwing himself into five technically challenging jumping and throwing events across the afternoon, consistently placing high in the B-string events to keep Ilford’s scoreboard ticking over. This was all after completing a night shift at work.
The depth of Ilford AC’s squad was highly evident within the non-scoring developmental tiers. Young star Aron Berhe turned heads in the non-scoring 800m, flying across the line in an excellent 2:06.88 PB. In the same event Ryder Islam ran an overdue PB of 2:16.84 to signal a return to form. Meanwhile, up-and-coming sprinters Marissa Osas-Bavis (13.12s) and Elizabeth Tijani-Adeleye (13.35s) signalled a bright future for the club’s sprint ranks with strong individual showings. Alex Adedeji also set a new 100m PB breaking 12 seconds for the first time.
Thanks to all the athletes who competed on the day and the officials supporting the meeting.
While the overall 6th-place finish leaves room for climb in the league standings there were some excellent individual performances.