ATHLETICS: Harrier Keeleigh flies the flag
6:00am Saturday 9th March 2013 in Latest News By Ned Payne
HURDLER Keeleigh Chapman will become the first female Swindon Harrier to compete in an international when she represents Wales tomorrow.
The 16-year-old has been selected to race in the under 20s clash with England, which will take place alongside the senior meeting.
She will compete in the 60m hurdles at Cardiff’s National Indoor Athletics Centre, the event in which she triumphed at the Welsh Indoor Championships last month.
The teenager, who is coached by Howard Moscrop, triumphed in a club record 9.42 seconds.
Having joined Harriers in the summer of 2008, Chapman has gone from strength to strength.
She has made four appearances at the English Schools’ National Track and Field Championships, winning bronze in the junior girls’ 75m hurdles in 2010.
Her first national title came in February 2011, when she triumphed in the under 17s 300m as well as picking up 60m hurdles silver, the latter of which she repeated the following year.
Chapman has set no less than 29 Harriers club records and has been named the club’s top athlete for the past three years.
In other Harriers news, veteran Brian Gardner won M55 silver at the Scottish National Masters’ Championships at Forres. He completed the eight-kilometre course in 31:16.
Simon Dill, competing for St. Mary’s University College (London), finished 196th out of 417 finishers in the men’s short course race at the British Students’ Championships in Leeds.
Six athletes competed in the Midland Indoor Athletics Championships for the first time.
Johan Warensjo (under 15s) won silver in the high jump with a personal best of 1.55m, while he also scooped bronze in the 60m hurdles in 10.36 seconds.
Lydia Rogers and Abbie Chaundy (both under 15s) ran PBs in the 300m and 60m respectively of 44.24 seconds and 8.32 seconds.
In the under 15s, Abby Miles clocked 8.60 seconds for 60m while Maiya Todd ran a PB 9.11 seconds on her club debut. In the 800m, Emma Jane ran a PB of 24.78 seconds.
Meanwhile, Sally Ledlow competed at the BMAF Southern Veterans’ Indoor Athletics Championships at London’s Lee Valley Indoor Centre.
Running in the W35 60m, she finished second in 10.07 seconds, shaving 0.09 seconds off her own veterans’ club record.
Four of Harriers’ talented young athletes competed at England Athletics’ National Indoor Under 15, Under 17 and Under 20 Championships, held at the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham.
Hannah Tapley set a personal best of 1.55m to finish sixth in the under 15s high jump.
Morgan Gascoigne was ninth in the under 20 long jump with 5.15m while Miles ran 8.68 seconds in the under 15s 60m heats. Ciaran Cooper ran his under 17 800m heat in 2:00.60.
