CITY of Plymouth athlete Sammie Harris has seen her season come to an early end after breaking her arm at the English Schools’ Track and Field Championships in Birmingham.
Harris had reached the final of the intermediate girls’ 80m hurdles after progressing well through the preliminary round and semi-finals.
She was looking to try and medal for a second year running in the event, but her hopes ended when she badly hit the fifth hurdle and fell awkwardly.
She went to hospital where it was confirmed she had broken her leg arm.
It has been a frustrating year for Harris. She missed most of the early part of the outdoor season after injuring her foot at the English Indoor Championships in Sheffield, where she had set a couple of PBs. She was just getting back into form this month.
However, Harris is determined to bounce back and says: “I’ll be back next season stronger than ever.”
The English Schools’ Championships meant the combined City of Plymouth/Tavistock/Erme Valley Harriers team were not at their strongest for the Southern Athletics League Division Two West match at Aldershot on Saturday.
However, there were still some strong performances from the athletes that did compete.
Matthew Bradley enjoyed a good day. He claimed first places and a second as well as recording a personal best and a season’s best.
He won the 3,000m steeplechase in 9:52.7 and also took victory in the 400m hurdles in a season’s best time of 64.8. His PB came in the 3,000m flat were he ran 9:05.0 to finish second.
Club colleague Jake Hughes managed two PBs. He came second in the 800m A race in 2:00.1, while winning the 3,000m B race in 9:12.0.
Also in the long distance events, there was a season’s best of 4:29.6 in the 1,500m for over-50 veteran Simon Anderson, while in the women’s 1,500m Great Britain international Victoria Weir continued her comeback with a 4:49.4 run to take second place. She had run 4:42.10 three days earlier at the Watford BMC Meeting, where Tamar Trotters’ Mike Wilsmore had clocked 3:42.39 to take fourth in the men’s 1,500m.
Meanwhile, at Aldershot there was a PB of 11.2 seconds in the 100m for Plymouth’s Brook Adnitt, who took second place, while Aaron Miller won the B race.
Tavistock under-17 athlete Olivia Kinnear made an impressive competitive debut over 400m. She finished second in the A race in 64.2. Club colleague Tilly McDowell was also second in the 1,500m steeplechase with a time of 5:45.5.
In the field events, Tavistock’s Ella Tomlin took second in the long jump with a PB of 4.85m. She also finished second in the hammer with 37.03m and won the B discus. In the A discus, Plymouth’s Clare Taylor set a new PB of 31.44m to win.
Tavistock under-20 athlete Charlie Shipton set new senior men’s PBs in both the hammer (33.71m) and shot (8.62m).
Full results can be found HERE.