Fechin McCormick
THEA BROWN was selected to represent GB & NI for the 2nd consecutive year at the Mannheim International in Germany that’s possibly the highest level junior international competition outside of the World or European U20 Championships.
LIAM O’BRIEN smashed the 45-year old ESAA Mason Trophy 400m Hurdles record at Stoke to further improve his own 400mH club record which he’s already broken twice this year. The Mason Trophy is an Inter-County competition between ten counties that’s a key stepping stone for young athletes aspiring to compete in the ESAA T & F Championships in early July.
MOLLY MILLS became the English Schools Northwest Heptathlon Championships at Longford Park, winning the title with five personal bests from her seven disciplines. She also shattered the North-West Heptathlon record by over 400 points with a total of 5,460 points, placing her 2nd on the UK all-time list. Additionally, she broke the Sale Harriers U17 club record by 186 points, surpassing the previous record held by THEA BROWN since September 2023. Molly’s score was also just 14 points shy of the British record. Molly is coached by JESS
THEA BROWN achieved the qualifying standard for the European U20 championships in Finland from August 7-10. Competing in her 1st senior Heptathlon competition in Tenerife, not only did she win her U20 competition, but her PB score of 5426 points achieved the qualifying standard. Further, she broke her own U20 Long Jump club record improving it from 6.24 to 6.36m.
LUCY ARMITAGE won selection to represent British Universities over 800m at the FISU World University Championships in Germany, the next biggest multi-sport event after the Olympic Games with around 8,500 student athletes from over 150 countries. In just three races in May, she improved her 800m PB from 2:05.86 at the Loughborough International, then 2 weeks later she improved to 2:04.96 representing the club at its National League match in York and improved it a 3rd time to 2:03.10 at the BMC Grand Prix at Birmingham University to achieve the qualifying standard and to win her selection.
CLODAGH WALSH, hailing from County Cork, made her Ireland debut at the European Team Championships (Div.2) in Maribor, Slovenia where she represented Ireland in the pole vault and won her Irish team valuable points.
RACHEL BENNETT made her GB & NI debut at the European Athletics Team Championships Div.1) in Madrid. Competing in the 200m, she put on a display to be proud of, produced a great PB of 22.87 for 7th in a race that included some of Europe’s best. She was then a part of the GB & NI 4 x 100m relay quartet that contributed to GB & NI finishing in 5th overall.
ROXY Mc HUGH added the Welsh U17 300m Hurdles title and 200m bronze medal to her Welsh collection, accomplishing both feats with impressive personal bests: 44.11 seconds in the 300m hurdles, which placed her 7th in the UK, and 25.6 seconds in the 200m. In her short time representing Wales, her medal collection includes last year’s U15 300m silver and 60m hurdles bronze medals.
EVA ANWYL also became the Welsh U15 Champion in the 75mH, running a PB and recording her 3rd English Schools qualifying standard and was selected for the ESAA English Schools. (Eva holds the club’s U13 club record over 70mHurdles and is quite a young Welsh star with several age-group titles and medals). Well done again to her coach DAVE LOWE, brilliant in taking his athletes through thick and thin!
AT THE NORTHERN U13 & U15 CHAMPIONSHIPS at Wavertree, MOLLY MILLS was the club’s only Northern champion winning Gold in U17 80m Hurdles with a great PB of 11.35 that consolidated her position as No.3 in the UK over the sprint hurdles. ROXY Mc HUGH also had every reason to celebrate winning the 300mHurdles silver medal in just her 1st year competing over the long hurdles and her 3rd ever race over the distance. MILLIE JACKSON, the Triple Cheshire U13 Champion retained her U13 Long Jump bronze medal and added the 200m to her growing collection. THIERRY KERR won the 80mH bronze medal in his first U15 Northern Championship. Thierry holds club records in the U13 60mH, 75mH, 75m and 150m. EVA ANWYL set PBs in each of the U15 75mH heats, the semi-final and the final and achieving the English Schools qualification standard.
AT THE NORTHERN SENIOR & U20 T & F CHAMPIONSHIPS at Moorways, Derby, Sale Harriers collected 6 Northern Titles, 5 Silver medallists and 6 Bronze medallists . The most successful were (1) ANNABEL AMADIN, Britain’s No.2 U20 Shot Putter who won her 4th consecutive title with a PB and also her 3rd U20 Discus title, again with a PB (2) SHAUNNA THOMPSON who won her 5th consecutive Shot Putt title.(3) ALFIE CARTER, in his first year with Sale Harriers, became the U20 Long Jump Champion with a PB and the Javelin bronze medallist also with a PB.
AT THE BRITISH U23 CHAMPIONSHIPS & EURO TRIALS held in Cardiff, Sale Harriers had several tremendous successes. SUCCES EDUAN won the British U23 200m title and secured her automatic selection for the European U23 Championships in Norway from July 17-20 all while pursuing her midwifery degree. LUCY ARMITAGE, just a week after being selected to represent British Universities at the World University Championships in Germany in July, and in the form of her life, became the British U23 800m champion with a time of 2:03.6 well within the European qualifying standard, though just 0.6 seconds outside the UK Athletics selection time. JASMINE RICHARDSON won the British U23 Hammer silver medal with a personal best of 52.21m that also placed her 3rd in the Welsh Championships. ELLIOT SAVAGE secured the 800m U23 Bronze medal adding it it to his 2023 U20 bronze medal.
WELSH CASTLES RELAY: Among the endurance section the Welsh Castles Relay has been the section’s highpoint since 2009 for the men and 2011 for the women. That 2-day, 20 stages, 209-mile race the length of Wales run on hilly and sometimes mountainous roads from Caernarfon Castle to Cardiff Castle, and competing among some of the strongest teams in Britain, is unrelenting in its toughness requiring remarkable organisation. As important as the two days of competition, it’s a great club event. This year the ladies were an excellent 3rd for the 2nd consecutive year and the men were 8th in the Open race. MEGAN TUCKER got the ladies off to a great start winning her Stage 1. She was followed by TRACEY TAYLOR, HELEN ARMITAGE, BIZ DEGEFA, VICKY CORDINGLEY-GAUNT, JACKIE CORDINGLEY, BEA CORDINGLEY, JENNY FOX, LYNDA ROWLINSON, LAURA BARBER, HEATHER HUGHES, SARAH GOULDEN, HARRIET HAMILTON, LAURA MARTIN, ANNE CHINOY, ALICE WRIGHT, SUZANNE SMITH, JESS TERRY, WENDY TERRY and ERIN TERRY who yo-yoed among the top five for 16 of the 20 stages until they consolidated their 3rd place in the final stages.
There were several exceptional performances among the men most notably NICK BARRY who won his Stage 2 breaking the course record. ROB DUNN took Leg 10, the last leg of day one, with its ‘spicy’ hilly start and the longest leg of the weekend to finish 1st Vet. NIGEL MARTIN then launched day 2 at 7 am by tackling the mountainous Stage 11 with its 250m of climb over 10.6 miles, recording his 4th mountain win and 5th stage win to also break the course record and run ‘probably my best ever run in this event’ . CHRIS DONNELLY was the veteran winner on Stage 8 and ANDREW CURVIS the veteran winner on Stage 18 and 3rd overall. All were rewarded with the prestigious yellow vests and Nigel and Rob Dunn were also presented with the sought after Welsh Dragon trophies as 1st finishers on their mountain stages. GARY ROWLINSON is to be commended for standing into the breach in the 11th hour. Last and certainly not least PHIL ROBERTSON had a really strong run, his last as an un-married man. Sale Harriers wishes him very well.
TOUR OF TAMESIDE Of the twelve Sale Harriers who braved the four day Tour of Tameside CHLOE ELLIOT won all four stages and LYNDA ROWLINSON enjoyed back-to-back V60 success by a whopping eighteen minutes and JENNY FOX claimed the V45 prize.
ROUND THE RESSERS Sale Harriers always have lot’s of 1st in the Round The Ressers ‘5’ mile race, that annual scenic two loops of the Valehouse reservoir in the beautiful Longdendale Valley. This year was no different with the1st female team of RACHAEL ROZHDESTVENSKAYA , ERIN TERRY and ANNE CHINOY. Anne was also 1st L50 female, RICHARD EDWARDS 1st V45 and STEVE Mc CARRON 1st V50
