NICHOLAS Hunt dominated the Dorset Track & Field Championships as he secured a sensational seven gold and two silver medals over the two-day Kings Park meeting.
Now competing as an under-20, the Southampton AC multi-eventer was almost a one-man athletics meeting.
Former Bournemouth AC star Hunt has achieved five gold medals at this championship twice before. Now eligible for more events, he equalled that goal by the end of day one with a 15.57m shot putt, 1.95m high jump, 13.04m triple jump, 15.5s for 110m hurdles and a 40.28m discus throw.
On Sunday, Hunt added two further golds – 7.04m in the long jump and a 41.39m javelin throw. He also achieved two silver medals with a 3.60m pole vault behind Jack Snook’s 3.80m for Wimborne AC and 22.3s for 200m.
- In the under-20s, Poole AC’s Alex Hately won both sprints with 11.3s for the 100m and a 22.1s 200m which equalled the championship best.
Bournemouth AC’s Josh King triumphed in the middle distances (800m 1:59.2, 1,500m 4:14.5).
Declan Toth won the 400m for Poole Runners in 52.3s, while Callum Kennedy ran a solo 2,000m steeplechase in 6:45.5 and won the 5,000m (15:56.6) ahead of Ben Wilson’s 16:34.3.
Gabrielle Rowsell boosted her own meeting-best long jump to 5.89m, while Katrina White added a championship best triple jump of 10.88m.
Sarah Kearsey trebled the 200m (27.0s), 400m (60.7s) and 400m hurdles (64.1s), Kirsty Wickham scored a high jump (1.45m) and shot (8.62m) double, while Steffi Wilson ran 12.5s to win the 100m.
- In the under-17s category, BAC’s Muiris Egan (200m 23.0s, 400m 51.5s) and Wimborne duo Jason Sotheran (800m 2:06.6, 1,500m 4:22.7) and Christian Flavell (400m hurdles 63.1s, pole vault 2.00m) each achieved two victories. There were also two wins for 32.88m hammer victor Ryan Smith of Dorchester AC, whose 44.55m added discus gold, despite 40.31m from Tom Peters. BAC’s Matthew Ridge doubled the shot (12.65m) and javelin (47.48m).
Alex Martin (100m 11.7s), Nishan Brooks (100m hurdles 14.4s), Jamie Williamson (1.83m) and Flynn Begley (triple jump 11.28m) each won one event.
Poole AC’s Ashleigh Power posted a hammer championship best of 38.40m. She also won the shot (8.70m) and the 200m (26.2s) in which she reversed her 100m defeat by BAC’s Rachel Welch (13.0s), who also claimed the long jump with 5.27m.
Dorchester AC did well in this age group as Lucie Fry impressed with the discus (32.33m), while Emma Dumbrell did a 300m double (flat 43.3s, hurdles 49.8s) and Tara Chittenden won both 800m (2:21.2) and 1,500m (4:51.4).
BAC’s Angel Kerin excelled in the triple jump (11.14m), with club-mate Rosie Wootten adding high jump gold (1.54m). Holly Aldridge of Poole Runners won the 80m hurdles in 14.2s, while PAC’s Emma Carpenter struck javelin gold with 27.06m.
- Not only did BAC’s Patrick Sylla set new championship bests for both horizontal jumps in the under-15s age group, he also leapt into the all-time top 10 by a British under-15 with his 13.61m triple jump. Ranked number two already for long jump with an earlier personal best of 6.88m, he posted 6.72m for a further Dorset gold.
Poole AC’s Sam Wheeler won all three sprints (12,9s, 24.1s, 39.1s CBP) and the shot (10.69m), with club-mates Ashley Parker (800m 2:19.6) and Michael Cornes (hammer 11.47m) also winners.
Joe Miles doubled the 1,500m (4:41.6) and high jump (1.48m) for Wimborne, with Ryan Long (80m hurdles 12.6s) and Tom Boulton (pole vault 2.20m) adding further gold. BAC’s Ben Dickinson took the javelin (43.47m).
Bridget Dence clocked 4:53.5 for 1,500m victory over Bournemouth Collegiate’s Poppaea Bramwell Reeks (4:59.0). Dence also held on for a 2:22.8 win in the 800m, one of the most competitive distance races of the meeting.
There were throws doubles for Wimborne’s Bethan Burley (javelin 24.67m, shot 9.28m) and BAC’s Danielle Broom (hammer 32.34m, discus 19.29m). PAC’s Sam Cash leapt to a horizontal jumps double (long jump 4.77m, triple jump 10.08m CBP).
Sprint rivals Lauren Cooper from Poole Runners (13.2s, 26.7s) and Amber Lench of Poole AC (13.0s, 27.1s) finished with honours even. Poole AC’s Olivia Hunter (75m hurdles 12.6s) and Abigail Rutter (3,000m 12:06.7), Wimborne’s Kelly Snook (pole vault 2.10m) and Weymouth 1.50m high jumper Abigail Morgan were also among the golds.
- In the under-13s, Joshua Blake (100m 13.4s, long jump 4.42m) and Thomas Jeremiah (shot 7.40m, discus 20.04m) both scored doubles for Poole AC, with Adam Booth’s 29.4s adding the 200m gold. Wimborne’s Liam Murphy Parry did the distance double (800m 2:28.4, 1,500m 5:12.4), with club-mates Jack Ayton high jumping 1.35m and Alexander Long throwing the javelin 19.82m for further gold.
Jacob Rowe achieved a first gold medal for the North Dorset Training Group when he clocked 14.4s for the 75m hurdles.
Bournemouth AC thrower Hannah Molyneaux posted two new championship bests. Her discus throw of 28.74 took her top of the age group in this year’s national rankings. Her 9.76m shot performance was down on her earlier rankings leading mark, but sufficient for a further meeting best. Molyneaux also won the javelin (21.84m) and trumped the 4.60m long jump of Wimborne’s Charlotte Ayton by 7cm for a fourth gold.
Ayton’s 13.9s secured the 100m crown, with Weymouth’s Caila Kirkpatrick clocking a 28.2s 200m win. Holly Lowther (70m hurdles, 12.7s) and Gemma Kennard (high jump, 1.40m) were further BAC winners. Poole AC’s Katie Corbin won the 800m (2:43.5), with Lita Talbot gaining 1,500m gold for Poole Runners (5:52.4).
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