Four Individual and two team medals along with an array of top 30 finishers marked a brilliant day at the SEAA Cross Country Championships at the weekend.
More than 2000 athletes took part in the 10 races across the courses at Beckenham Park.
The day got off to an impressive start with Brighton & Hove’s Taylor Thom Watts putting in a fine performance to win the under 15 boys’ contest in 13.44.
Adding to Taylor’s joy and with team mates George Urben in 8th (14.21) and Samuel Gill in 23rd (14.23) and Cory Walker in 34th (15.05), the Brighton & Hove boys also took Team Gold.
In the same race Chichester’s Max Gayle placed 27th in 14.56.
Next up were the under 13 girls where Elzie Ortiz (Brighton & Hove) was the highest placed Sussex athlete in 21st (11.37).
A phenomenal 7 Sussex athletes finished in the top 30 (out of 208) in the under 13 boys’ race.
These being Riley Ayre (Worthing District Harriers) in 16th, Isaac Bowley (Phoenix) 17th (10.34), Hugo Wrapson 18th (10.34), Xander Wagjiani (Crawley) 19th (10.35), Charlie Carman (Worthing District Harriers) 23rd (10.42) Barnaby Moyes (Brighton & Hove) 26th (10.46) and Zaky Ali (Brighton & Hove) 28th (10.47).
Isabella Buchanan (HYAC) took the bronze medal (15.20) in the under 15 girls 4K with Florence Goodwin (Brighton & Hove) 5th (15.47), Isabella Lendrum (Chichester) 10th (16.21) and Ruby Armstrong (Brighton & Hove) 15th (16.39). Brighton & Hove just missed out on the team medals coming 4th with 129 points – just 5 behind Aldershot in 3rd.
Another bronze for the county came as a result of George Armstrong Smith in the under 17 men’s race (18.44). Not too far behind was Eastbourne Rovers team mate Fin Lumber Fry in 5th (18.57). Tom Petherick (also Eastbourne) was 25th in 19.54. The Eastbourne team were also close to a team medal in 4th place overall.
The Brighton Phoenix under 20 women were celebrating after scooping team silver athletes placing 16th (Greta Hunter), 17th (Grace Tuesday), 26th (Imogen Read) and 30th (Thalia Parker).
In this race, Emily Carman (Worthing District Harriers) was the highest Sussex finisher in 10th (23.53).
Finishing 12 seconds clear of the Milton Keynes athlete in 2nd, Chichester’s Molly Smithers made it look easy winning the under 17 women’s race.
Just outside the medals were Horsham’s Izzy Wheeler 4th (22.09), Eastbourne’s Daisy Connor in 5th (22.12) and Chichester’s Elodie Hill in 6th (22.14).
Freda Pearce (Eastbourne) also had a solid run coming 16th (23.26).
Milly Dickinson has looked strong so far across the Sussex circuit and she continued this streak in the senior women’s race where she placed 5th (27.45) out of 335.
HYAC’s Imogen Matthews finished 22nd (29.46).
A total of 603 finished in the last race of the day – the senior men – making (Brighton & Hove) James Turner’s 27th even more impressive.
Well done to all the athletes who took part.