KING’S Ely Junior athlete Rebecca Daniel ran the 800 metres in 2 minutes and 23.8 seconds at the graded athletics meeting in Milton Keynes on Saturday (18), making her the fastest girl in her age group in the UK.
In running such a fast time, the 12-year old smashed the previous King’s Ely Junior record, which had stood since 1976, by an incredible 14 seconds.
Coach Richard Powell commented: “Rebecca is the first King’s Ely Junior pupil to reach the national number one ranking. This is just-reward for all of the hard work she puts into her training and the real determination she has shown to go alongside her natural ability.
“She has improved tremendously this year and clearly now has a great chance of success at the Nationals early next month.”
There was more success for Junior girls at the weekend when Year 7’s Harriet Bruce beat nine boys to win the High Jump at the Gresham meeting in Holt. The annual meeting helps to identify athletes who will be competitive enough to go to Bedford for the Area Prep Schools Championships later in the term.
There were several other good performances from Junior pupils at Gresham, including Freia Gould, Lauryn Sandland, Faris Ashraf, Max Stubbings, Dominic Butler, Jack Kember and Timmy Abioye.
“It was a great weekend for Junior athletics,” said Head Richard Whymark.
“Rebecca Daniel’s success is well deserved. Her commitment and determination are admirable qualities but her talent just seems to shine through. We are very proud of her.”