City aces on fast track to success
Thirteen budding athletes from Wolverhampton & Bilston Athletics Club's crop of promising youngsters shone in the English Schools' Athletic Association National Championships in Gateshead.
Nine of the 13 teenagers, who competed in the junior, interim and senior stages of the event, reached the finals and three came away with medals.
Fourteen-year-old Niall Price sped to a new personal best (PB) of 11.36 seconds in the 100m on his way to claiming bronze in the junior boys.
In the inter boys 400m, it was the friendly rivalry of 15-year-old Ellis Greatrex and Psalm Roberts-Nash, 16, that stole the show.
Greatrex took gold ahead of his team-mate with a winning time of 49.33. Roberts-Nash claimed a close silver finishing just point-11 of a second behind Greatrex in 49.44.
Both athletes had managed a quicker time in their semi-finals, with Roberts-Nash's effort of 48.81 now ranking him fastest of his age category in the UK.
Gold medallist Greatrex matched his outdoor PB in the semi-final with a time of 48.08.
In the junior boys, Adam Saul Braddock finished 12th in his 1500m heat in a time of four minutes 23.75.
While Lynx Nourney qualified for the shot put final and came 11th with a distance of 10 metres 32cm.
Michele Thomassi enjoyed a promising weekend in the high jump, finishing joint-fifth with a new PB of one metre 81cm.
In the senior boys, Tor Bennett-Williams achieved an impressive sixth in his 400m heat, securing a time of 50.29 – only 0.2 outside of his PB.
Bennett-Williams, who is new to the event, has only been training with Clova and Howard Court this season and it seems there are positive times ahead in the format.
Travis Christie smashed his 400m hurdle PB with a time of 54.95 to reach the final. His new time ranks him 11th across the country in his age category.
In the girls' section, the club's only track athlete in the juniors, Amelia Samuels, was placed ninth in her 1,500m heats in a time of 4.51.92.
Hammer star Phoebe Baggott landed sixth place in the final, throwing 42.51m and finishing just seven centimetres shy of her personal best.
In the inter girls, Cliona Rose Perkins continued an impressive season that has seen her record a host of PBs as she came seventh in her 80m hurdle heat with a new best of 12.09.
Simone Mcken was placed ninth in the shot putt final after throwing 12.20m.
Molly Walsh qualified from Pool B in the hammer and threw 50.28 in the final that saw her finish 11th.
Claudio Albanese, coach at the Aldersley Stadium club, said: "We're extremely proud of the 13 club athletes who represented their county schools at Gateshead.
"They conducted themselves well and they all enjoyed the weekend. The good thing to see was even though the athletes were competing for Shropshire, Staffordshire and West Midlands Schools they were all urging each other on.
"Massive congratulations to Ellis, Psalm and Niall on their medals and my challenge now is to build up on the success of the group and the challenge is to find other athletes who can emulate the success of Niall, Ellis and Psalm."
Greatrex and Roberts-Nash have built further on their success with impressive displays for England in the Home Nations International against Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
They were both involved in the 4x400m relay, with England storming to gold, while Greatrex powered to victory in the 400m with Roberts-Nash securing third.
