Summer had definitely arrived in East London on the hottest day of the year so far, with the conditions proving tough for spectators, never mind the competitors.
The still and sweltering weather was great for the sprinters but not so good for middle distance, with fast times difficult to come by. The field athletes also benefitted from the warm weather and a host of pb’s followed. The exception to this was the high jump competition which lasted far too long and offered no protection from the sun for the athletes.
After two unfortunate late drop outs due to illness it was left to eight boys to fly the flag and fill all but two of the scoring slots. Reuben Chandler set us on our way with two quick fire p.b.’s in the sprint hurdles and long jump and not to be out done, Temi Abiola also set two bests in the 100m & 200m, dipping under 14s for the first time in the shorter distance. P.b.’s also followed for Ethan Fiore in the 100m and Thomas Carbin in the 200m.
A strong gun to tape performance by Ethan Fiore saw him take maximum points in the 800m and he was well supported by Christian Hopper claiming 3rd place in the B string. The 1500m was the second of the middle distance events with a battling run by Jack Adams in the A string. The B string was filled by Theodore Hafford-Tear after a late switch from the 800m NS. Theo carried on running through the line and over to the Javelin, where, after missing the first round he proceeded to throw two successive p.b.’s and take 1st place with an enormous throw that places him 2nd on the Kent County list.
Last but by no means least was another solid point scoring performance from Nico Marino with a B string 1st in the Javelin and an A string pb in the Shot.
Another great team performance and once more it’s a difficult pick for man of the match. There were particularly strong performances from Reuben, Temi and Nico but this week it has to go to Theodore Hafford-Tear for his incredible Javelin performance.