Sale Harriers had a most successful outing to Sheffield over the weekend of January 14-15^th. We had forty five athletes compete, coming away with 27 medals, clocking up two championship best performances, five gold medals, eight silver and thirteen bronze medals.

The first of two championship records came from Amy Williams, who first won the U15 long jump two years ago at age 12, broke the long standing record last year and improved it by 18cm this year for the hat-trick. Then came our recent and very welcome member, Kirsten McAslan, who smashed the U20 400m CBP by over two seconds, winning in 54.35. Tyra Watson and Cherisse Walley followed very close behind to give Sale 1-2-3.

Sale's U20 speed merchants, who took the limelight at the EIS stadium, was the ever-reliable Roy Ejiakuekwu, winning two gold medals. He comfortably cracked the seven second barrier in the U20 men's 60m, to clock 6.94, leading a field that included five (five!) SHM athletes out of eight starters. Gold number two came in the 200m, where he narrowly beat team-mate Nathan Selby to win in 22.01with Nathan reporting a massive pb of 22.03secs.

European and Commonwealth U17 400m champion, Clovis Asong moved into the U20 category with some style. Running majestically in third place with sixty metres to go, trapped behind two star performers who looked to be fighting it out for gold, he took the long way round, coming from behind with thirty metres to go, to win in 48.43, his courage and fitness winning the race, but the tactical error might have cost him the record.

Darren Hammond's 2m 05cm high jump proved too good for the opposition and he retained his senior men's high jump title with an identical performance...metronomic!

Silver medals are always impressive, but this year there were two outstanding examples: James Barratt equalled the previous CBP in the triple jump (14.37m) which would have been good enough for gold in any other year. Similarly, English Schools champion Ahtollah Rose was beaten in the U20 triple jump by just two centimetres - by the Junior World Champion who needed a CBP to beat Ahtollah. So close!

Big PB's were registered by James Barratt ( 14m 37cm) in the U/20 Triple jump; David Campbell soared over 3m 90cm in the U/17 pole vault; Jenna Hill added the 3000m silver to last year's 1500m silver medal with a fine PB of 9:47.92; Zenon Wisnewski  7.24/22.81 secs;  Nathan Harris 7.36/23.53 secs;  Chris McGahan 4m 06.51secs, Daniel Needham 8.36secs 60m Hurdles, Marnie Wells -Nichols 9.27secs U/20 hurdles, and Lydia Randles 9.35secs U/17 hurdles. 

Sale Harriers Manchester is proud of all its members who represented the club in the Northern Championships and especially of the medallists:

Gold

Silver

Bronze

Compiled by Jack Frost and Anthony Barber)