With the Olympic Games dominating the fixtures the Southern Inter-Counties Championships this year have taken a much later date with the events being /staged at Oxford. Although the number of Chelmsford athletes numbered only five in the under 20 year age group there proved to be five medals gained. Maegan Hopkins topped the chart with two `gold's` winning both the shot putt and discus whilst Gregory Martin and William Nuttall took the 1500 metres and 3000m steeplechase titles. Completing the medallists Archie Simms finished second in the 400m hurdles event in a close finish. Rosie Townley completed our competitors with sixth in the long jump.
With the unfortunate clash with the Eastern Young Athletes League Final and Chelmsford seeking to retain the trophy this was treated as the priority hence only four athletes from the under 15 and 17 age groups contested these championships. Sophie Catchpole was to win the under 17 year 300m hurdles whilst at the same age level Harry Dove finished ninth in the long jump. At under 15 level Francesca Phillips ran a personal best of 4m 53.48s for the 1500 metres whilst Lily Hartman after winning her heat in the 300m placed fifth in the final.
I cannot finish this report without giving congratulations to Didi Okoh on first her selection for the Great Britain Paralympics Team and then on her performance in the 100 metres which contributed to that medal haul of 124 from the team… Now fast forward four years let’s look to upgrading that medal to `gold` in Los Angeles.
Report written by Roy Meadowcroft