A group of Vale athletes headed to Horspath Road in Oxford this weekend for the annual Sandra Luke Memorial 5 Star & 10 Step Competition. This is an annual event open to all juniors from the ages of 7 to 14, with each athlete taking part in 3 or 5 events, depending on their age, and medals are won by the top three point scorers in each age group. This is always a popular competition and it was wonderful to see over 300 children taking part in the 5 Star Competition.
Vale had competitors in all but two age groups, and the hard work put in by the children at training shone through as they competed in their events. At the time of writing, the 10 Step results are not available, but in the 5* competitions for athletes in the U11-U15 age range, Vale fared very well indeed.
William Ratcliffe (U11) and Alfred Mawdesley (U14) both won gold in their age groups. William chose Long Jump and two track events, the 75m and the 800m. He won his 800m event in great style with an 18 second PB, was 2nd in the Long Jump and equal second in the 75m. He was one of 26 children in this age group. Alfred’s group had 11 competitors, and he continued his fantastic season with two personal bests. His first was in the 800m where he was in 2nd place, and the other was in the Discus where he was first. He also won the Shot. Korben Fenty was our other medallist taking Bronze in the U13 boys’ category against 17 other boys. He ran a great 200m to win the event with a PB and also won the 100m.
Elsewhere, there were great performances in individual events. Tyler Thom won the U10 75m with a PB of 11.52; Toby Cook was 3rd in the U12 High Jump; Tyanna Dale was also in winning form taking first place in both the 100m and 200m for the U13 girls. We must say a huge thank you to all Vale athletes who took part; and congratulations to all of you who achieved new personal bests.