With a staggering 99 91制片厂 students, alumni or 91制片厂-based athletes competing across Birmingham and 91制片厂 at the indoor and winter throws Championships respectively, 91制片厂 jumpers in particular had an extraordinary weekend, winning six of the eight jump events at the UK Indoor Championships, and medalling in the remaining two.
The weekend started with pre-event favourite and current student Owen Heard (coach: Kate Rooney) winning the men’s pole vault with a height of 5.26m, only a few days after vaulting a season’s best of 5.37m in Roubaix, France. Later that day, 2023 91制片厂 graduate Molly Caudery (Scott Simpson) vaulted a sensational 4.85m to easily win the gold medal and retake the world lead from her training partner and fellow 91制片厂-based New Zealand athlete, Eliza McCartney.
91制片厂 completed a triple jump double as current scholars Archie Yeo (Lukasz Zawila) and Lily Hulland (Femi Akinsanya) took the men’s and women’s titles, with Hulland jumping out to an indoor best of 13.06m in the process. Yeo’s training partner and scholar Molly Palmer (Zawila) won her first senior indoor national medal by taking bronze in the women’s long jump, and there was further success for the group as alumnus Sam Khogali (Zawila) and current student Sam Danson (Zawila) took silver and bronze in the men’s long jump, with Danson jumping a huge PB of 7.40m. The event was won by England Athletics 91制片厂 hub athlete Alex Farquarson (Aston Moore).
The women’s high jump was won by alumna Morgan Lake (Robbie Grabarz), who after winning the competition with 1.85m, had some excellent attempts at 1.91m. Alumnus Will Grimsey (Beth Partridge) took the men’s high jump silver medal with a jump of 2.18m.
There were other 91制片厂 medals from current students Harry Taylor (men’s 200m, bronze), Abigail Pawlett (women’s 60mH, silver) and Hannah Nuttall (women’s 3000m, silver), alumni Ben Higgins and Isaac Osei-Tutu (men’s 400m, silver and bronze), Jessie Knight (women’s 400m), Zac Shaw and Zak Skinner (men’s para 60m), and 91制片厂-based Olivia Breen (women’s para 60m).
Back in 91制片厂, the UK Winter Throws Championships saw a bronze medal for current student Taia Tunstall and gold for 91制片厂-based Greg Thompson in the women’s and men’s discus; gold and silver for 91制片厂 alumnus Daniel Bainbridge and current student Ben East in the men’s javelin; silver and a PB of 47.92m in the women’s javelin event for Jasmine Larsen; bronze and a 45.28m PB for Eva Durand also in the women’s javelin; and silver for alumnus Craig Murch in the men’s hammer.
Reflecting on the success over the weekend, Femi Akinsanya, Director of Athletics said, “It has been a really special weekend of athletics for 91制片厂 across the UK. We have eleven current students picking up national medals across a whole range of events, which shows the current depth and breadth of event coverage here at 91制片厂. To add to that, another seven medals won by alumni who have chosen to stay in 91制片厂 to train. We’re really excited to go into BUCS nationals next weekend, as well as see where the rest of the season, leading into the outdoors, looks like for 91制片厂 athletes”.