Soton Success At County Championships

On the weekend of the 25-26th May, six athletes from Southampton University Athletics and Cross Country Club traveled to Portsmouth for the Hampshire County Championships.

First to race was John Wright who eased through his heat into the final of the 800m. Malcolm Gledhill also made the final of the 200m.  John Wright was up next in the 800m final, where he ran an excellent tactical race, culminating in a 200m sprint finish to win a bronze medal in 1:59.17.

John Wright proudly displays his Hampshire 800m bronze medal

Malcolm also had a fantastic final in the 200m, powering through the headwind to win a bronze medal in a new club record of 22.11 seconds. Although Jake Bradley had a tough act to follow after two incredible races from John and Malcolm, he ran a huge 5000m in just 17:10, smashing his personal best by 19 seconds to come 6th in the championships.

Laura Bartlett-Short topped the day off with another personal best in the 1500m. Laura has put in a super-human amount of effort during the year and has seen her times plummet because of it!

Sunday brought more racing from Malcolm Gledhill, who used the strong tail wind on this occasion to run a ridiculous 10.80 second 100m which means he has now ran sub 11 seconds twice!

Nadia Papasidero was a surprise medalist in the women’s 800m coming away with a Bronze medal for her time of 2:42.

Taylor Langford-Smith threw the Javelin in the Championships, coming away with a season’s best and a silver medal following her 8th Place in the BUCS championships a few weeks before. After working incredibly hard during the last couple of years, Martha Neal again saw her efforts pay off in the Devon County Championships with another PB of 18:26 and a silver medal.

An amazing weekend of results for the club with four bronze medals and two silvers in the county championships around the country, topped off with another three personal bests: more proof that the club is constantly improving and ready to take on the best.

If you would like to get involved in the club next year, whether you are an international athlete or just want to get fit, please contact the club on via Facebook or e-mail. We have no selection times so if you want to train with us you can; disabled athletes are also welcome, as we are looking to expand this section in the coming year!