The 2024 English Schools Athletics Association Track & Field Championships were held earlier this month and saw Lincolnshire bring home plenty of medals. Of these, Lincoln Wellington saw many of their athletes compete across a multitude of disciplines. Here’s a round-up of some notable Welly athletes’ performances (not a full list):
Finnian Phillipson broke his own county record in the junior boys 800m heat 2, finishing in 1st place with a blistering time of 1:59.49. Asher Phillipson went in heat 3 and finished 3rd in 2:02.60. This comes just 7 weeks after a broken ankle! Finnian achieved the National Standard with this, and Asher the Entry Standard. Finnian then ran a 2:16.73 in the final, finishing 7th, having been tripped, gotten up, and finished the race. Coincidentally, his time from the heats would have still beaten all else in the final.
In the intermediate girls, Molly Grant went in the 800m, winning her heat in 2:12.70, achieving the National Standard. In the final, she stepped things up and narrowly missed out on the gold, finishing 2nd in 2:09.92, a quarter of a second from the win.
Isla Porter ran in the intermediate girls 1500m, qualifying with the National Standard with a 4:37.44. In the final, she just missed out on the medals, with a 4th place finish in 4:35.35, again, inside the National Standard.
Next up was Ellarose Whitworth in the intermediate girls 3000m final. She produced a fine 9:31.29 to take silver, only beaten by the headline maker Olivia Forrest of Essex, with both streets ahead of the rest of the pack.
In the senior girls 100m, it was the turn of Mabel Akande. In heat 1, she cruised to a win, posting an 11.66s and gaining National Standard. In the final, much of the same with an 11.71s win, to take the gold, with a heavy tail wind, doing enough to take the win. We are led to believe that Mabel is the first person to defend her ESAA title for all 3 years! Unbelievable achievement!
Our athletes helped Lincolnshire to the following standings:
Intermediate boys – 4th
Junior boys – 7th
Senior boys – 10th
Intermediate girls – 2nd
Senior girls – 2nd
Junior girls – 6th
Overall, Lincolnshire finished 3rd in their group, that contained 13 other counties.