THE WEEK'S NEWS 22^nd August 2023

Fechin McCormick

SONIA SAMUELS BREAKS WORLD RECORD (Almost!)

How does she do it? SONIA SAMUELS was only a handful of seconds from setting an L40-45 world record in the Newark Half Marathon. Her 72.28 was just 9 seconds off her best from the 2019 Barcelona HM, and now ranks her 3rdon the L40 UK All Time List, particularly impressive in that she's a Mum who's struggles with injuries. Her time consolidates her position as the UK's No.1 L40 half marathoner for the past three years.

Sonia holds the club marathon record from her 2:28.04 in the 2015 Berlin HM. To show how evergreen she is, seven years later and an L40 runner, she missed improving it by just seven seconds, in the 2022 Manchester Marathon.

Sonia has won a host of Junior and Senior Northern and National XC Titles and medals and represented Great Britain at 4 World Cross Country Championships, 2 European Cross Country Championships and 1 European Track and Field Championship.

SELECTED TO REPRESENT ENGLAND

Four Sale Harriers have been awarded the fantastic opportunity and great honour to represent England at the U20 Welsh International next weekend. They will experience top level competition to aid their blossoming careers. Congratulations to ANNABEL AMADIN (Shot), FREYA DOCKERTY (Sprint Hurdles), HERMIONE MASON (400m Hurdles) and STEPHANIE JONES (Long Jump) and to their respective coaches BOB GAISIE, JESS TAYLOR-JEMMETT, ALEX WORT and KEITH HUNTER.

FROM ADVERSITY TO TRIUMPH

Saturday's final Premier Division match of 2023 hosted at Longford Park was a day to inspire and remember! Observers of this league would have witnessed classy, competitive athletics throughout a buzzing day with a great crowd and atmosphere.

Sale Harriers will remember it as a landmark performance! Languishing bottom of the league, following dismal performances in the 2^nd and 3^rd matches, the club's 'back was truly against the wall' and only a miracle it seemed could prevent the club from relegation!

Don't anyone ever again underestimate Sale Harrier's ability to respond in adversity! Forty-five of the club finest (and a few evergreens like pole-vaulter ANDY ASHURST, ANNE CHINOY and DEBBIE Mc EVOY in the 3000m) showcased the club magnificently. From the day's forty competitive 'A & B' events, the club scored more than forty victories........far too many to list but you/we know who you are!

As a club Field Official I allowed myself occasionally to be distracted from my duties on the Triple Jump and Hammer, to witness the green-hooped vest snatching top places throughout the stadium. The men in their sprints notched up victory after victory, PHIL ROBERTSON & ROBBIE RIGBY were pure class in the 5000m as was BEN REES in the 1500m, SHONA WILKINSON even leapt to four PB's in the Triple Jump; HERMIONE MASON and OLIVIA BROWN were brilliant in the 400m, ELLISE FRYER-FRANCIS was a star in the High Jump and Javelin as was SEREN REDFERN in her three events and SHAUNNA THOMPSON, ANNABEL AMADIN and JASMINE RICHARDSON were awesome with their throws victories. KAMAL BENISSAD had great 2ndplaces in the Shot and Discus. HARRY LORD was as always a class act top scoring in the Pole Vault and Shot. Such was the club's dominance that by mid-afternoon, it had what seemed like an unassailable lead. The clean sweep of victories in the four relays resulted in possibly an unprecedented points score of 108 point over Wirral AC. Another of the day's big winners was SAM EBONINE who won the HJ with a 2 metre jump ( a big landmark in high jumping) plus he won the Long Jump ( 6m 45cm) and Triple Jump, alongside EMMANUEL ODUBANJO, a week before Emmanuel returns to his University in the States.

From the jaws of adversity in the Premier (NW) Division, Sale Harriers triumphed to an unimaginable 2ndplace. Without you it would have been impossible! Let it sink in how this match proved the club has both the resources and the goodwill to be very successful....and not just in adversity! A very special thanks to team managers JACK FROST & DAVE MARSH who rallied the 'troops' and to the club's T & F Officials who won maximum team points in all four matches. Wirral AC were the 2023 (Premier NW) League winners!

Northern League match Longford Park

Northern Officials

Mia Gibbons

Phil

Official

Northern W Shot

Northern Mens Lj

Northern Track

Longford Park

Long Jump

Ladies Long Jump

Morthern Relay Squad

Debbie And Anne

Northern W Hammer

Northern W Hurdle

Northern Hammer

FULL NEWS ROUND-UP (in brief)

EUROPEAN U20 CHAMPIONSHIPS

Sale Harriers had three of its top athletes represent GB & NI at the European U20 Championships in Jerusalem.

• SUCCESS EDUAN cruised through the 200m heats to automatically qualify for the final. In a gripping final, she blasted out of the blocks and put herself comfortably in contention for a medal. Leading with 50m to go she was just pipped to the post by the fast-finishing Swedish and Hungarian. Nevertheless, she was 'very happy' to win bronze. (She's already a bronze medallist from the 2021 Championships (when just 16 years old). On the final evening of the Championships she anchored the GB team to win the 4 x 100m silver medal. As in the 2021 Championship, she had the task to hunt down the German to win gold but on this occasion didn't succeed and her team were awarded the silver medals. Congratulations to her and her coach ANITA RICHARDSON and her team.
• LAZARUS BENJAMIN performed brilliantly in the Pole Vault's qualification stage. With a clean sweep of jumps, he leapt to 5.15m, five centimetres higher than his Season's Best, to go top going into the final. There he cleared with ease up to 5.10m and with nine competitors left when the bar rose to 5.20m unfortunately he didn't clear it and placed 8th …..still an improvement on his ninth place in the 2021 Championships in Tallinn. Congratulations Lazarus and to your coaches ANDY ASHURST, MATT CULLEN and DAVID CAMPBELL.
• GABRIELLE GARBER (A Higher Claim athlete) represented GB in the High Jump. In qualifying, she jumped perfectly through 1.80m and qualified 8^th overall. Unfortunately she didn't record a jump after three unsuccessful attempts at 1.75m in the final but was 'very happy' to have made the final. Well done to her and her coach JESS TAYLOR-JEMMETT.

THEA WINS TRIPLE SILVER IN COMMONWEALTH YOUTH GAMES

What a fantastic Commonwealth Youth Games Championships in Trinidad for the club's super-star THEA BROWN! In this major championship of her blossoming career, she won the100m Hurdles silver medal in a lifetime best performance of 13.53, then won silver in the high jump a few days later, losing out on gold on count back and, as the curtain fell in the first ever Commonwealth Youth Games to be held in the Caribbean, she won Team GB silver in the 4 x 100m mixed relay. On top of all of that she was selected as the Girl's team Captain for the Championship. Well done Thea and to your coaches JOANNE HARDING and the club's own DAVE LOWE.

EVA IS DOUBLE WELSH CHAMPION

EVA ANWYL became the double Welsh Champion at the Welsh National Championships in Newport. She won the 100m Gold in 13.22s and the 70m Hurdles Gold by 0.6s ahead of the 2nd athlete. Another clap on the back for her club coach DAVE LOWE!

Worthy of special mention is the heart-warming story that her young friend ISABELLE CONNOLLY supported her through the whole weekend. They first met at Crossford Bridge and became close friends and she wanted to support her friend so her parents took her and spent the weekend in Wales. Friendships built through sport!

KIRSTY'S IS 14 X SCOTTISH CHAMPION

KIRTSY SPENCE (nee LAW), the club's long-time Discus specialist, recorded her 14th Scottish Discus Title at the Scottish Championships in Grangemouth. It's a record she's likely to hold onto! Kirsty has represented Sale Harriers for over 20 years domestically and internationally and has been a key contributor to the club's successes.

KADEENA COX WINS WORLD TITLE

Life Member KADEENA COX OBE, MBE and the club's Tokyo Para-Olympian and World Champion, won her latest World Title at the UCI World Championships in Glasgow. She dominated her C4 500m Time trial to retain the World Title.

Club magazine readers will know that Kadeena competed for the club as an able-bodied sprinter with a 100m PB of 11.93 until in May 2014 aged just 23, she had a stroke and was later further diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. Since then she's become Britain’s only black cyclist to win either an Olympic or Paralympic medal. At the Paralympics she made history by becoming the first Briton in 32 years to win two gold medals in two different sports, cycling and athletics. Through it all she achieved celebrity status and made regular appearances on the TV shows like 'A League of Their Own'; she won Celebrity Master Chef in 2021 and the following year showed great leadership in 'I'm A Celebrity, Get me Out Of Here'

NATIONAL PREMIER LEAGUE.

In the club's first year of Premiership athletics for a decade, it did well to finish in the top half of the Premiership Table and put itself in a good position for next year. Well done and thanks to all the athletes, coaches and team managers JAMES BAILEY, LUCY EVANS and DAVE MARSH

SALE SIZZLERS SUCCESS

The club's 4 x 5k promotion successfully completed its 22nd year with a new, younger team led by PAUL BARRETT, ROB MARSDEN and MIKE WHARTON. They made the all- important first step to secure the future of this flagship event with the younger generations taking responsibility. FECHIN Mc CORMICK, the series director for 21 years who founded the series after the 2002 Manchester Commonwealth Games can now happily 'retire'! As runners exited the two car-parks an incredible £1189.62 was donated into St. Ann's Hospice collection buckets and almost all the twenty-nine Sale Harriers who 'sizzled' had reason to celebrate.

ALEX & LILY CROWNED NORTHERN CHAMPIONS

Most of the handful of club athletes who travelled to Middlesbrough for the Northern age-group championships returned home with Championship titles, medals or lifetime best performances.

• LILY OLDALE won the U17 Javelin title with a PB of 43.11m. This talented young lady already holds the U15 Javelin (500g) club record. Lily coach is DAVE LOWE as is RUEBEN JAGO who won the U17 (SC84) 1500m silver medal with a PB
• ALEX FRAZER became the U15 1500m Champion and is another going from strength to strength. In July he again broke his own 1500m club record improving it to 4:11.29. He's coached at Wythenshawe by DAVE MARSH & TRACY CAINE.
• BLESSING IDOKO won the U17 300m silver medal the 200m Bronze medal both with PB.
• LIAM O'BRIEN was equal 1st in the 80m Hurdles but awarded the silver medal. This ends a great season for Liam who's been one of the club's most committed and hard working athletes.