Brilliant throwing by Lizzie Korczak (Brighton Coll) and a splendid leap from Adam Lindo (Downlands) gave Sussex a great start at the 2017 English Schools Track and Field championships at Birmingham as they gained Gold medals on Friday.
Sussex were particularly strong in the Junior (U15) Girls javelin event with County and Sussex Schools champion Anouska Fairhurst (Lewes Old Grammar) and Peanut Meekings (Burgess Hill Girls) among the leading throwers Nationally but it was Korczak who rose to the occasion while both Fairhurst, who can compete in the same age group next year, and Meekings seemed overawed by the event and were below their best.
With a splendid series of throws Korczak pulled out a personal best of 41.26m to take the title.
Meekings placed ninth with 34.80m and Fairhurst 11th with 33.22m and it was a tremendous result that Sussex should get all three of their throwers in the top twelve placings.
Lindo was in tremendous and soared to victory with a personal best effort of 6.35m.
Most of the first day of the championships was devoted to getting athletes through to Saturday’s final and several Sussex athletes have progressed through to today’s battles but there were also several good placings for Sussex performers in Friday’s Field events Finals although just the two medals.
Ivy Spencer (Priory) equalled her personal best to take fifth place in the Junior pole vault with 2.95m while in the Senior Boys (U19) shot putt Daniel James Thomas (Bexhill) also took fifth place with 13.88m.
In the Senior girls throws Emily Robinson (Steyning) and Vicki Pellett (Sackville), who can both compete again next year took sixth places Robinson throwing 38.75m in the discus throw and Pellett throwing 45.03m in the Hammer event while there was a seventh place for Mary Adeniji (Hailsham) who bounced her way out to 11.37m in the triple jump.
Qualifications from Friday would suggest that there could be a few medals for Sussex today.
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