Day One Report
No doubt buoyed by the international success of the likes of Katarina Johnson-Thompson, Jessica Ennis-Hill and Morgan Lake, a record entry of 45 Athletes, including Stockport Harrier Amy Jackson (Coach: Joe Frost), took part in the U17’s Pentathlon on Day one of the National Indoor Championships held at Sheffield’s English Institute of Sport today.
Having just moved out of the Under 15’s this was Amy’s first Championships as an Under 17. This is not without it’s challenges in the Combined Events as as well as stepping up to compete against Athletes who are sometimes almost two years older and more experienced, the Athletes must also contend with changes in their throwing implement weights and in the heights and spacings of their hurdles.
In the hurdles, having spent the winter re-learning the event in it’s new specifications, Amy was competing in the U17’s event for the first time yet produced a brilliant opening performance to better her personal best over the Under 15’s specification hurdles running 10.27 seconds to eclipse her previous best mark of 11.04.
Amy picked up where she left off with the hurdles in the High Jump, the second of the five events of the day. With first-time clearances at all her heights up to and including a personal best equalling 1.30m, Amy then went clear first time at a new lifetime best of 1.33m.
The Shot - the third event of the day - proved more problematic with a no throw for stepping over the stop-board in round one followed by a second no throw in round two, this time for the shot landing outside of the landing sector. With just one throw left to get a valid score and avoid a ‘zero-pointer’, a safe throw of 6.57m, just down on her best of 6.98m secured 308 points. Next came the Long Jump, one of Amy’s strongest technical events, where she produced a first round attempt of 4.33m and a foul in the second round before leaping out to a new lifetime best of 4.57m in the third and final round.
Finally, the Athletes took to the track for the 800m, the final event of the day and the event most combined eventers look forward to the least. In a quick heat Amy found herself off the pace and had to run solo for the majority of the race, but secured 342 points with her 3:02.54 run to finish the Pentathlon in 29th position in the country, 16th in the North of England and with a new indoor Pentathlon personal best points tally of 2,197 points.
Well done Amy! We will be back at the English Institute of Sport tomorrow where the Under 15’s will take their turn and with seven Stockport Athletes competing across the Boys and Girls competitions, there promises to be more good results to report on!