West Yorkshire Track and Field Championships, Cleckheaton, Sunday 10th September 2023
The Championships marked the end of the track and field season for most athletes, and it was an opportunity to end the season on a high with a personal best and maybe even a medal. For a few of the younger athletes it was their first exposure to an event where there are heats to negotiate to get to the final. It was a long day for athletes, parents, and officials but as a club we came away with an impressive set of results.
Personal Bests Achieved: 9
Championship Medals: 9 Golds; 2 Silvers; 5 Bronzes
Here’s a summary of the athlete’s performances, for the full results see the end of the report.
In the under 11 boys, we had Henry McFarlane who opted to stick with just the 600m on this occasion. He took the lead after 100m and never looked back as he gradually moved away from the chasing pack. He finished in an excellent 1st place in a time that was close to his personal best.
Also, in the under 11 boys we had Arthur Gibbs, possibly the youngest boy in the meeting. Arthur likes to try his hand at a range of events and today he came 8th in the 600m, 10th in the 75m and 11th in the Long Jump all with solid performances just outside his personal bests.
Our sole representative in the under 11 girls was Naya Hanson. She ran an excellent 75m managing to qualify for the final where she came 6th in a strong field. She also then came 5th in the 600m after having achieved a personal best in the Long Jump where she came 11th.
In the Under 13 Girls, Annabelle McFarlane competed in the 800m. She made it a family double for the McFarlane household by leading from start to finish to win the race in an excellent 2m 37.8s which was a new personal best by over 2 seconds.
Also, in the under 13 girls, Florence Gibbs had a great High Jump. She achieved a personal best and by keeping her cool and clearing 1.20m at the final attempt she claimed a deserved bronze medal. Florence also achieved a personal best in the discus in 5th place. She also managed to compete in the 800m finishing in a solid 6th place.
Soraya Thomas in her first year in the under 13 girl’s category had a good day. She qualified for the final of the 80m where she finished in 3rd place, narrowly missing out on second place but coming away with a personal best. She then ran an excellent 800m where she came 4th and managed to take over 2 seconds off her personal best. She backed this up with her first discus competition which placed her in 4th again but meant she had achieved a PB in every event.
In the under 15 boys Sam Standing was a convincing winner in the Shot Put with a throw that wasn’t too far off a PB. He then doubled up in the sprints reaching the final in both the 100m and 200m. He came an excellent 3rd in the 100m and then just missed out on medal when coming 4th in the 200m at the end of a long day.
Also, in the Under15s was Joey McLaughlan who opened with a Long Jump coming in 11th place and coming close to a PB. He then competed in the Shot-Put coming 9th again, close to a PB. Finally, he competed in the 100m but just missed out on qualifying for the final from his heats, but it was still a productive day with consistent performances throughout.
In the Under 15 girls Chloe Law started with a superb PB and 1st place in the Long Jump with 4.95m. This was followed by a 1st place in the Shot Put just outside her PB. Then after qualifying for the final, she held her form to win the 100m against some tough opposition. 3 wins out of 3 made it a very successful day.
Also, in the under 15 girls was Florence Jones who continued to show her versatility by competing in a range of events. She ran a superb 100m heat to qualify for the final where she came in 4th, just missing out on a medal. Later, she ran on the 800m where she ran a well-paced race to come 3rd and collect a medal. She also competed in the Long Jump where she came 7th.
In the under 17 ladies, Jess Martindale made a welcome return to athletics after injury. She competed in the Javelin for the first ever time and won the event convincingly keeping her composure after an earlier foul to win with her final throw of the competition and established a new PB.
In the under 20 ladies Eve Dutton started her day with 3rd place in the 100m in a straight final against quality competition, narrowly missing out on 2nd. She then competed in the Long Jump where she came 1st with a solid jump. She ended with an excellent 2nd place in the 200m final where they merged the under20s with the senior ladies.
Finally, in the Senior Men, Will Lander opened with an excellent 400m where he came 1st in a fast time just outside his seasons best. He then qualified comfortably for the 100m final in which he was narrowly beaten into second place in a fast race.
