CITY of Plymouth’s Poppy Tank set a new track 10,000m personal best on her way to finishing fourth at the Golden Spikes World Athletics Continental Tour event in the Netherlands at the weekend.
However, Tank, who recently finished runner-up at the British 10,000m Championships, was left ‘heartbroken’ after agonisingly missing the European and Commonwealth Games qualifying standard by just four seconds over the 25-lap distance.
Tank clocked 32:04.36 minutes, which was nine seconds quicker than her previous track best time, to finish behind Dutch athlete Diane van Es, Ethiopian Almaz Baraki and Italian Federica Del Buono.
Despite her impressive time, the Great Britain cross country international said afterwards: “Heartbroken to say the least. Four seconds outside the European and Commonwealth qualifying standards over 10,000m and it will take time to process.
“Being unsponsored, self-funded and with very little support, every day feels like a mountain to climb.”
She added: “But don’t count me out. I’m consistent, progressing continuously and I will achieve my goals eventually.”
Her former Plymouth & West Devon Schools’ team-mate Will Battershill, meanwhile, claimed victory at the SportsShoes Podium North 5k run in 13.57 minutes.
City of Plymouth’s Annabelle Fasuba and Nelly Harvey and Tavistock AC’s Hazel Stead and Tegan Brown all claimed new championship best performances at the Devon Schools’ Championships at the weekend.
British under-15 record holder Fasuba (Coombe Dean) broke both the intermediate girls’ 100m and 200m records at Exeter.
She clocked 11.73 seconds to win the 100m and 23.84 seconds to take victory in the 200m.
In the same age group, Hazel Stead (Tavistock College) set a new record on her way to winning the 3kg hammer competition with a throw of 55.79m.
Her club and school team-mate Tegan Brown, last year’s English Schools’ intermediate girls’ champion, won the senior girls’ 4kg title with a throw of 49.28m.
There were also hammer titles for club colleagues Charlotte Pestridge and George Brown.
George Brown threw 47.42m to win the intermediate boys’ competition, while Pestridge (DHSG) produced an effort of 36.76m to take victory in the junior girls’ event. She also won the discus competition with 22.54m, with Tavistock club colleague Mabel Maguire second with 21.08m.
Maguire did win the javelin title with a good throw of 31.47m.
Tavistock AC and Mount Kelly pupil Evie Palmer also claimed a javelin gold medal. Her success came in the senior girls’ event with a throw of 34.54m.
Ivybridge College’s Harvey claimed gold and a championships record in the junior girls’ 300m in a time of 42.66 seconds.
There was a good intermediate boys’ 1,500m race, where Tavistock AC team-mates Freddie Whybrow (Mount Kelly) and Thomas Hennessey (Tavistock College) finished first and second. Both are in the UK’s top 10 at under-16 level.
Fellow Tavistock AC athlete Luke Scott-Tucker (Mount Kelly) won the 1,500m steeplechase title in a PB time of 4:34.02, which moves him up to second in the UK under-16 rankings.
City of Plymouth’s David Oldfield (PHS) won the senior boys’ 100m in 11.13 seconds and was second in the 200m in 22.53 seconds.
Club colleague Elsie Goodspeed (DHSG) took victory in the intermediate girls’ 800m in 2:18.50, while Evie Welsh won the minor girls’ (Year 7) two-lap event in 2:26.46.
City of Plymouth’s Harvey Slade and Erme Valley Harriers’ Isabella Trowell both won two gold medals at the county event.
Slade took victory in both the minor boys’ (Year 7) 100m and 200m in 12.46 and 25.34 seconds, respectively, while Trowell triumphed in both the senior girls’ 100m and 400m hurdles events. She ran 15.33 over the barriers in the 100m event and 66.96 seconds to take victory in the 400m competition, both of which were English Schools’ entry standard times.
There was also a gold medal for Emily Kirk in the junior girls’ 100m in 12.91 seconds, for Alfie Nicholson in the minor boys’ 800m (2:29.00) and for Ellena Partington in the minor girls’ 100m in 13.94 seconds. She also clocked 28.89 seconds to take silver in the 200m.
At the recent South West League meeting at Exeter, Tavistock’s Eldon Young moved into the UK’s top 20 for the under-16 boys’ 3,000m with a 9:02.53 minute run, while his club colleague Luke Scott-Tucker set a new PB of 2:05.23 in the under-16 boys’ 800m.
City of Plymouth’s Joe Bacon won the senior men’s 400m hurdles in 55.98 seconds and took second in the 200m in 22.58 seconds.
Joshua Bloxham took victory in the under-18 400m in 51.22 seconds, while team-mate Nia Harradine-Cole took top honours in the senior/under-20 400m in 58.56 seconds.
Hanna Ulvede won the senior women’s 200m in 25.72 seconds and came second in the 400m hurdles in 65.15 seconds.
There were also track victories for Millie Easton (U12 100m and long jump), Ivy Ling (U12 800m) and Robyn Summer (U18 400m hurdles).
In the field events, Charlotte Pestridge won both the under-14 high jump and U16/U14 hammer with 1.30m and 32.94m, respectively.
There were under-12 shot victories for Tommy Saunders (6.81m) and Shara Ingleby (7.28m), while Charlotte Doney won the under-18 discus with 32.32m and Katelyn Milburn triumphed in the senior women’s triple jump.
Elsewhere, at the Armada Summer 5k Series run on Wednesday, Barry Miles took overall victory in 17.14 minutes, with St Austell’s Gareth McColville second in 17.36 minutes and Alan Irvine third in 18.53 minutes.
City of Plymouth’s Phoebe Timson was first woman in 20.11 minutes, with Annie Wisely second in 20.48 and Tamar Trotters’ Linda Herbert third in 22.09 minutes.