With a boost in under-13 entries and a 50% increase across the board from 2022, plus no cross-country or national fixture clashes, the 2023 Sussex Indoor Championships felt close to the pre-pandemic norm.
Over the weekend, there were three Championship Best Performances and an equal CBP. Brighton and Hove under-15 Jaiten Best was the inaugural Triple Jump champion last year when the event was introduced for that age group. She returned to Carshalton to successfully defend her title, leaping out to 10.10m. This was the first year of the under-15 boys Triple Jump. All the medallists leapt out to personal bests, with Worthing's George Barker setting the CBP to take top honours with 10.19m, from Jude Porter's 9.83m and Matthew Plummer's 9.68m.
In the under-13 boys' Long Jump, Jaiten's clubmate Louis Ashworth improved the CBP by a massive 34 centimetres with a leap of 4.68m to take him into the Top 5 of the UK rankings. Meanwhile, in the pole vault, Lewes under-20 Isaac Lancaster rose to the occasion, going over the bar in a PB of 4.30m to equal the champs record, already shared by Lewes's Jack Harris and Crawley's George Turner.
A multiple Sussex medallist over the years, Eastbourne's Bryn Smith won the Senior Men's 60m in 6.95s, from Worthing's Ethan Muirhead's 7.08s. Smith just missed Tom French's 2012 CBP of 6.93s. Meanwhile, Brighton senior man Bradley Eisnor was a dominant winner of the hurdles in 8.68s, as was Blackheath and Bromley's Pat Apantaku in the shot put.
The under 20 men's 60m was a straight final won by Chichester's Dominic Barth in 7.03s, from Brighton's Noah Grant-Barwis and Worthing's Ethan Crane in 7.18s and 7.28s, respectively.
Crawley's Holly Gregory (née Turner), a 400m specialist, was competing in the 60m event for the first time. She had a great battle with her clubmate Adeline Preston, and only 6/100ths separated them as they crossed the line, with Gregory winning in 7.92 to Preston's 7.98. Brighton's Aneira Farrar-Daniel came third in 8.15, a strong comeback performance after five years out of action due to injuries.
Jade Brewster (Crawley) jumped 5.02m to win the senior long jump title, Brighton's Amber Purcell leapt 5.08 for the under-20 crown and also won the triple jump with 10.73m. Her clubmate Stella Kalman won the under-17 long jump with 5.16m from Crawley's Madeleine Way, who jumped 5.02m. For the U15's Crawley's, Kiera Bruce produced a season's best of 4.55m, just eight centimetres ahead of her clubmate Mia Barnes, for the win.
Sophie Hogton (Crawley) was a double champion, winning the under-20 women's 60m in a personal best of 7.96s from her clubmate Noa Maoundus and later taking the 60m hurdles title, also in a PB of 9.38s. The U17 women's 60m winner was Crawley's Charlotte Rayner, a first-year in the age group. She clocked 8.17 seconds ahead of Eastbourne's Caitlyn Spencer and bronze medallist Thalia Witham from Lewes.
Lewes pole vaulter Amalie Smith Jarman leapt to a 10cm PB of 3.35m to top the podium in the under-20 women's competition. Crawley's Riyhanna Duvergier set a new PB of 3.00m for the silver. In the U15 girls competition, Phoebe Scott of Lewes jumped a PB of 2.70m, 20 cm higher than her clubmates, the silver and bronze medallists Ava Hayes and Ayla Kimpton-Bragg.
Last year's under-15 60m champion -Brighton's Charlie Fisher - was not phased by being at the bottom of the under-17 age group. He was the fastest qualifier from the heats and took the title in 7.35 seconds from his clubmate Louis Wilson and Worthing's Aidan Bayley.
Brighton under-17 Daniel Allan ran a personal best of 8.94 to clinch the hurdles title from Crawley's Braimoh Busari. Busari had already pole vaulted to a PB of 3.70m for the win and moved to fifth in the UK rankings.
Harriet Yelling of Worthing won the under-17 women's Triple jump with a PB of 10.17m from Alice Howie, the 2022 UK top under-15 hammer thrower! Alice won the shot with a personal best put of 10.65m.
Lewes's under-15 pole vaulter Ivan Wray moved to number four in the UK rankings with his 2.90m leap for gold. His height was matched by Crawley's Milo Hilborne, who is presently the UK's top under-13 pole vaulter but competed up an age group.
For the under-13s, there are just two events- a long jump and a 60m sprint. In a turnaround from last year, where this age group had minimal entries, the boys 60m had enough participants for heats. Five of the athletes who qualified for the final were from Brighton and Hove, and Matthew Reid won the gold medal in 8.74s from long jump champion Louis Ashworth in 8.78s. For the under-13 girls, Worthing's Eva Taylor did the double, winning the long jump by almost half a metre with a leap of 4.28m and the 60m in 8.81s. Brighton's Klara Novak was the silver medallist in both events.
It was a strong two days of competition. We thank all the officials and volunteers from Sussex and Surrey who ensured the competition ran smoothly across the weekend.
View the results HERE.