The ESAA Championships feature the best young athletes in England and competition is always very tough; you have to be mentally and physically strong. Jess Hunter was part of the Buckinghamshire squad this weekend in Gateshead where she won her 100m hurdles heat on Friday with a brilliant new PB of 13.66s – the athlete in 2nd place was almost a full second behind her, crossing the line in 14.53s. Jess then kept her cool in Saturday’s final and her run of 13.88s won her the gold medal she deserved.
Jess is having a phenomenal year – she is No 1 in the UK Power of 10 rankings for U20 women in the 100m hurdles; she narrowly missed running for GB in the European Junior Championships and just a few weeks ago she lined up at the British Championships in the same race a Jess Ennis Hill. The future is surely bright for Jess – congratulations from Vale of Aylesbury AC; it is so good to see hard work paying dividends.
Jess wasn’t the only Vale athlete competing for the County. U15 sprinter Lee Richards was also in the squad competing in the 100m and finished 4th in his heat, but with the exact same time as the athlete in 3rd. Well done Lee – your first major Championships is nerve racking affair but the experience will no doubt spur you on to achieve the qualifying time for next year.