Gold for Samuel at England U23 Championship – 20th June 2021

Samuel Clarke ran a gritty and determined race to be crowned U23 Champion 400m hurdles at the England Athletics U20/U23 Championship held at Bedford.

Sam ran a controlled race in the heat to qualify for the final with the fastest time of 53.52. Returning to windy and cold Bedford the next day for the final,  he had nothing to lose. Showing great form and technique Samuel ran a clean race when his competitors were hitting hurdles in the lanes next to him. Samuel kept his poise and nerve and ran a terrific last one hundred metres to take his first national title with a spectacular dip on the line. His winning time was 51.98 was not only a PB but his first time under 52 seconds. In addition to this Samuel also broke the club record. The second place athlete ran 52.01.

Samuel has worked hard over the last few years to reduce his PB by over nine seconds since 2017. His dedication and willingness to compete for his club, work hard and fight for the line showed today what you can achieve if you train hard and persevere. Congratulations to Samuel, his coach Bob Smith and his whole support network that have contributed over the years to his success today.

 

C&C had two other medals in the U20 and U23 3000 steeple chase. Tom Bridger(U20m) and Conall McGinness(U23m) both won bronze medals in their respective age groups. Tom’s time of 9:38.45 was a PB which ranks him sixth in the U20m age group.

Other C&C athletes who took part in this weekend’s championships were:

Thomas Keen 5th – U23m 1500m – 3:42.32 (season’s best)

George Keen 11th – U20m 1500m – 4:00.40

Kristiaan Winkel 5th – U20m discus – 46.01m

Adam Cross 7th in heat – U23m 100m – 11.11 (-1.4)

William Newcombe 5th – U20m 3000m – 8:45.70

 

Congratulations to all of the athletes on their participation in this year’s championships. To be permitted to take part this season was subject to strict entry requirements due to COVID restrictions. As ever thank you to all of the coaches and supporters behind the scenes who assist the athletes excel at this level.