BY FEYISAYO AWOSIKA
Growing up I had always watched athletics from the comfort of my home, until I decided to grab a pair of spikes when I was 12 and represent my school and local club. Then when I was 14, I attended the same event I am writing about now- but as a fan. Younger me always had a dream of either competing, or covering high-caliber events like UK Athletics Indoor Championships, and last month it finally came true.
A week after BUCS Athletics Nationals and the Keely Klassic, we saw a number of BUCS athletes compete at the UK Athletics Indoor Championships in Birmingham. Despite the unexpected chaos on the first day, everyone rose to the occasion. The first day saw many athletes proudly wearing the vest of their first acclaimed club, as they sprinted, jumped, ran, and threw their way into medal contention. This article will focus on four BUCS athletes who competed at the UK Athletics Indoor Championships, but the spectacular, young talent that competed at the Championships exceeds this singular article.
In the women’s 60m, Joy Eze, a Pharmacy undergraduate at Newcastle University, charged her way to victory. Joy has had the same coach since she was a child and it’s clearly paying off. The Gateshead athlete ran a personal best at BUCS, and won her third, consecutive indoor 60m title. As a result, this cemented her place on the national team for the European Indoor Championships in the Netherlands. After her 60m heat, I asked Joy how she felt going into these championships with those BUCS titles to her name:
“It is a bit of pressure, but I am not going to let it get to my head, and just remember this is a separate championship, and I still have something to prove, so not thinking ‘I have arrived or anything like that’. I still need to run the times that I ran last week to do well here.”
Humble, graceful, and hard-working are three words that can be used to describe her, as she went on to become a semi-finalist at the European Indoors.
Abigail Pawlett is the definition of no days off. On 14th February, she had a record-breaking weekend at the BUCS Indoor Championships in Sheffield. She ran a personal best in the 60m, and simultaneously set a new Loughborough, Welsh, and Championship record and a new personal best. Then, the English Literature pupil competed at the Keely Klassic the next day, in Birmingham, and came second in the 60m hurdles. During the Indoor Championships, the multi-eventer won the 60m hurdles on day one, securing a glorious gold, and a stunning silver in the shot put the following day. There is a reason Loughborough University is amongst the top universities for sports in the nation. Another Loughborough student, Zac Davies, experienced triumph that weekend. Davis threw 15.60m, taking home a gold medal. This follows his BUCS two-time Indoor shot put win.
Like many events in athletics, high jump is a test of technique, patience and timing. Kimani Jack, a Shaftesbury Barnet native, competed at BUCS the week before, jumped 2.11m and got silver. Even though he was disappointed with this result, he didn’t carry that emotion into the Indoor Championships but used it as motivation to improve. The University of Birmingham athlete jumped 2.15m, and he was very pleased with his silver medal. In his post-jump interview, I asked the History student about what he will take away from this competition:
“This week, I’ve been telling myself it is me versus the bar.’ ‘Not even just the field but the track as well. When you get too hyperfixated on the other competitors, and this or that may happen, things you can’t control, I feel like that just really affects your performance badly. So, I was thinking it was just me, against my head, against the bar, trying to string a good performance together, trying to focus on the technique. Today went pretty well, but I know I can do better, so I will definitely be back out there.”
As these young athletes progress in their careers, it is evident that they understand the importance of reflection, and it is more evident that the future of British Athletics is shining brightly, with many young athletes looking forward to what is to come- like the BUCS Outdoor Athletics Nationals in May.
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