JAMES Wright stormed to heptathlon gold at the England Athletics Senior & Under-20 Combined Events Championships in Sheffield at the weekend.
The Rugby & Northampton (R&N) athlete stormed to the top prize after setting no fewer than five personal bests and a club record along the way.
Wright set a club-high 4,966 points during the national event, which saw him place fifth in the competition overall and third in the Under-23 Championship.
The Under-23 athlete kicked things off with a PB in the 60-metre sprint after crossing the finish line in a time of 7.14 seconds.
He set another quickest time around the track by completing the 1,000m race in 2:49.70, as well as overcoming the hurdles in 8.47.
In the field events, Wright also secured PBs in the long jump (6.89 metres), shot put (11.75m) and the pole vault, clearing 3.50m. Wright’s triumph was rounded off with a height of 1.81m in the high jump.
Also competing in Sheffield was Theo Walkley-Bartlett, who grabbed himself bronze in the Midlands Under-20 contest, setting three PBs along the way.
A time of 3:23.32 was a new best time over 1,000m for Walkley-Bartlett, and he excelled in the field too by clearing heights of 1.69m and 2.92m in the high jump and pole vault respectively.
R&N were also well represented in Warwickshire over the weekend, with a number of young athletes competing in the Warwickshire XC Championships.
The Under-15 girls and boys both secured team bronze medals, with Georgina Woodward leading the way for the girls.
Woodward finished fifth in a time of 16.36 and she was soon followed over the line by Hollie Moore who took seventh in a time of 16.54 and Olivia Sheehan’s time of 17.24 was good enough to take 14th position.
For the boys, Rhys James was the first R&N athlete home in 14.48, while Cian Hutton crossed in as time of 15.15 to take 13th and Myles Martin (14th – 15.20) rounded off the scoring for the team.
George Goodwin and Tilly Lea produced strong runs in the Under-20 male and Under-20 female races with both grabbing second-placed finishes. Goodwin finished in 19.31 to seal silver, and Lea matched that achievement in a time of 22.35 to earn her a place on the podium.
Finally, there was further individual success over the weekend, where Rebecca Leadbeater was taking part in the Buckinghamshire County Championships. The Under-20 athlete raced around the 6km course in 22.39, securing herself the silver medal.
