KING’S Ely students were on top form at the annual County Schools’ Athletics Championships.
Six King’s Ely athletes will now compete in the Anglian Schools’ Athletics Championships on June 18th following their achievements at the county championships in Cambridge on May 27th.
Arthur Plews, 15, was crowned county champion in the long jump. In a very tight competition, he jumped 5.68 metres to clinch the win. Ben Marshall, 14, high jumped 1.55 metres (equalling his personal best), then later ran 13.4 in the hurdles into a slight head wind to gain county vests in two events.
Harriet Cheseldene-Culley, 14, smashed her personal best in the long jump with a 4.66 metre leap, gaining second place by a few centimetres. Macy Gow, 15, also soared out to 4.77m to gain her place in the county team.
Elizabeth Carberry, 14, threw 21.02 metres in the discus, which was also a new personal best for her. She is closing in on the elusive 23 metre target set for the year and hopefully will throw that when she competes for the county.
Molly Jones, 15, who had been out for a long time with a bad hip injury, fought hard to get second place in the 300 metres. She ran in the National Cross-country Championships and earned her second county vest with great style.
King’s Ely athletes who did not make the county team but still competed with distinction included Billy McGrath, 14, who was a very creditable third in the discus with a 28 metre throw. It was his best throw this year and he equalled his personal best in the high jump. Josh Jackson, 14, ran with courage in the 800m, finishing in 2 minutes 24 seconds, almost a personal best. Aaron Pugh, 15, was third in the discus, his brother Sean, 15, was fourth in the javelin, and Tom Kim, 14, was fifth in the long jump. Isabelle Jupp, 15, had a good run in the hurdles, as did Macy Gow, Lottie Webster, 14, and Tom Kim in the 100m.
Head of Athletics at King’s Ely, Jim Thompson, said: “It was great to see so many of our athletes competing at the County Championships. The attitude of all our district athletes has been fantastic throughout and they have all shown a willingness to learn and improve in their specialised events. Special mention must go to six of our athletes who qualified for the Anglian Schools’ Athletics Championships on June 18th. Arthur, Harriet, Ben, Macy, Elizabeth and Molly have all put in a huge amount of work to gain qualification, and I am very proud of their efforts.”