Brighton & Hove’s Amber Anning and Joe Fuggle from Wadhurst struck gold and broke records at the England 17/15 championships at Bedford over the weekend.
Both set personal bests, Anning twice, when winning their titles and Anning also set the fastest ever 300 metres by a British U15 athlete in both heat and final while Fuggle again improved the Sussex record.
While Dina Asher Smith, one of the brightest young stars in British athletics, was setting a new British 200m record in Beijing Brighton & Hove’s Amber Anning was depriving her of the British Under 15 300m Best performance at Bedford.
Because the 300m distance is not included for U15 athletes Anning was competing in the U17 age group and she raced to a convincing victory in her 300m heat. Anning blew her older rivals away as she streaked across the line in 39.04s to erase Asher-Smith’s 2009 U15 Best performance of 39.16s.
Come the final on Sunday she was in equalling devastating mood taking the final in a brilliant 38.73s, the first time any British under 15 girl has ever run three successive 100 metres inside 13.00s. Anning's time is also a European Age 14 best.
Joe Fuggle has been nibbling away at his personal best over the U17 400m hurdles all season and in the process continuing to improve the Sussex record. On Sunday he again improved the record clocking 52.88s which is a time that has only ever been bettered by seven other British 17 year olds.
Unfortunately Fuggle failed to crack the Commonwealth Youth games standard of 53.50s before the required date at the end of June so he missed out on a place in the England team.
There were silver medals for pole vaulters Calum Neil (Horsham) who cleared 4.21m in the U17 group and Crawley’s Natasha Purchase with 3.01m.
Lillie Franks (Crawley) was again close to her best taking the bronze medal in the U17 high jump by clearing 1.69m while club mate Orla Brothers just missed a medal in the U17 200m where she clocked 25.04s for fourth place.
Tamsin Campbell (Crawley) cleared 3.21m for fifth place in the U17 pole vault and this placing was matched by Brighton & Hove’s Cameron Fillery who clocked 13.36s in the U17 100m Hurdles while U15 performers Jamie Kealey (Crawley) recorded 23.72s in the 200 metres and Ben Hawkes threw 47.79m in the hammer throw as well as placing sixth in the shot put with 11.13m.
There were also sixth places for U15s Hannah Brockbank (Brighton & Hove) in the discus throw with 31.31m and Jack Harris (Lewes) who cleared 3.00m in the pole vault while fellow Lewes athlete Scott Staples threw the javelin 52.21m for sixth place in the U17 age group.
Unfortunately holidays again deprived many youngsters of an opportunity to compete.