A HOST of Swindon Harriers athletes were in the medals at the South West Schools Athletics competition this weekend.

In total the club picked up five golds in Yeovil, with Callum Bampton winning the 3,000m, Emma Piatek claiming the 400m title, Abbie Chaudrey coming out on top in the 100m and both Lillie Bellamy and Ciaran Cooper victorious in their 800m events.

Johnny Dowell also picked up a silver in the long jump, while there were a host of other impressive displays from Harriers athletes throughout the age groups.

The Swindon club had two competitiors in the junior girls category, with Wootton Bassett’s Zoe-Ann Bishop finishing a respectable seventh in the discus whilst Chloe Crippen of Nova Hreod, who also runs for Highworth, finished fourth in her 800m heat and 14th in the overall event.

Elsewhere, in the junior boys competition, Marcus Raymond of Ridgeway School competed in both the 80m hurdles and the long jump. Raymond who is also a Swindon Harrier, placed fifth in the long jump and fourth in the hurdles heat which saw him through to the final and finish 7th overall. Meanwhile, Tom Haworth of Lydiard Park Academy finished fourth in the boys’ 200m.

The intermediate girls competition saw one Swindon athlete Abby Miles, of Lydiard Park Academy, take to both the long jump and triple jump, where she placed third and fifth respectably.

In the intermediate boys competitions, three athletes from Ridgeway School produced prominent performances. Bampton demonstrated an ambitious run as he looked strong and in control as he went on to win the South West title for the 3,000m. Meanwhile, Dowell continued the medal haul as he won an impressive silver in the long jump, while George Baskerville also competed for his first time in the competition, placing a credible fifth in the 400m final.

The senior girls competitions saw three Swindon Harriers take gold. In the 400m, Piatek of New College used her powerful kick to push past the leader down the final straight and claim her deserved South West gold as well as retaining her form to gain another personal best.

Elsewhere, Chaundy, of Farmor’s School, was competing for Gloucestershire in both the 100m where she gained a silver and the triple jump that saw her continue her season’s fine form to yet again get a new personal best and win the gold.

Alongside Chaundy, Bellamy of Cirencester College too gained the South West title in the 800m, which she led from the gun. This will be Bellamy’s final year competing in the school’s events. All three of the Harriers’ girls have now secured their places at the National Schools Competition at Birmingham Alexander Stadium in early July.

The senior boys 800m once again saw Swindon Harrier and New College student Cooper take the gold. Cooper has already shown impeccable form this season and on Saturday continued this, winning his race with a national standard and a personal best of 1.52.88.

Like the three senior girls from Swindon, Cooper will also be attending this year’s national schools competition. Also competing for Wiltshire was Swindon College’s Aaron Bishop who placed 4th, a notable result for an athlete new to the event.