The Brighton Phoenix club had a tremendous second day at the British Indoor trials and Championships at Sheffield on Sunday winning two gold medals and one silver.
Seventeen year old Brighton College rugby player come athlete was one of the most promising young athletes on show all weekend and twice he drew the outside lane and managed to steam to victory in the home straight of the 200 metres event.
In the semi-final he looked to be well in control clocking his faster ever time of 21.11 and come the final he was again un-sighted and looked likely to be squeeze out of the medals as they entered the home straight but another tremendous show of power down the finishing straight took him to victory in 21.14s, a remarkable performance.
In the 1500m Charlie Grice, who is an expert tactician, was always in control steaming into the lead with nearly two laps to go and holding his ground through the finishing line in, what was for him, a modest 3:46.50s.
Nineteen year old fellow Phoenix athlete Robbie Fitzgibbon had done well to reach the final and it was his strength in the home straight that saw him power his way through to finish fourth in 3:48.62s
The silver medal came in the 800 metres where Spencer Thomas, who is eighteen, ran an extremely sensible race again. He sneaked up the inside in the home straight to snatch second place behind Liverpool’s Jamie Webb who clocked 1:51.25s to Thomas’s 1:51.35s and the reigning champion and fastest British athlete this year Guy Learmouth from Scotland who clocked 1:51.45s in third place.
There was a surprise silver medal in the women’s 200m when Kimbely Baptiste from Crawley took a convincing second place in 24.08s.
Just a mention for a third middle distance champion, Adelle Tracey from Guildford. Tracey was a frequent member of the Sussex Schools cross-country and track teams a few years back and she jumped Lynsey Sharp, the Scottish record hold and Jenny Meadows (Wigan) after sticking to them for three and one half-laps to win the title in 2:02.99 and book herself a trip on the plane to Oregon and the World Championships later this month.