The Kent County Track & Field Championships defied Covid restrictions and challenging weather to take place at the Julie Rose Stadium over the weekend.

Invicta East Kent’s under-23 sprinter Korede Awe was back to win the 100m final as he did in 2019, but he was unable to get near his time of 10:47 secs which led to his previous title or his personal best 10:44.

The weekend championship in Ashford took place amid tight Covid restrictions, with Kent the first county in the country to have been given an EA Competition Licence to run their event. Athletes were greeted by torrential rain on the opening morning.

Awe ran a season-best time of 11.17 secs to win the men’s 100m final ahead of runner-up Rhys Francis (Blackheath & Bromley) and Medway & Maidstone u23 pair Harry Osborne and Nathan Isaac.

Medway & Maidstone dominated the men’s senior 200m as Alex Marshall (22:28) ran in ahead of fellow M&M sprinter Harry Osborne (22.69).

There was a Medway & Maidstone 1-2 in the women’s final of the 200m as Lucy Hope (28:07) beat off the challenge from club-mate Zara Edeleanu (29:74).

Kallyah Young (Blackheath & Bromley) ran a faster time of 25:85 in the under-20s 200m final to win from Sileena Farrell (Dartford Harriers) and Isabella Fassnidge (Tonbridge).

Young also won Sunday’s 100m final (12:44) ahead of Farrell (12:47). Maddison Sawyer won the 400m u20W final while fellow M&M athlete Charlotte Young took the honours in the 1,500m.

Tonbridge AC’s Kieran Eland took the 400m men’s final ahead of Bexley’s Joseph O’Hara and club-mate Noah Friend, winning in a time of 50:08

There was little to separate Tonbridge’s Jordan Chambers (4:05:07) and Ashford AC’s Harrison Tremain (4:05:28) in the men’s 1500m final, taking second and third respectively behind Essex winner Nicholas Armstrong.

In the under-20 100m final, Tonbridge’s Anton Bachorski ran home in 11.41 secs. Dante Legister (Cambridge Harriers) crossed the line in 11.33 secs to win the under-17 100m final.

The men’s u20 200m final produced a thrilling finish as Connor Neal (Thanet AC, 22:42) narrowly pipped Ashford’s Kristian Samwell-Nash by just 0:01 secs in a photo-finish.

George Seery was also a gold medal winner for Thanet, in the 400m hurdles, breaking a long-standing club record.

Blackheath & Bromley’s Samuel Reardon took victory in the 400m u20 final with a run of 48.94 secs ahead of Thanet’s Connor Neal (49.43) and Blackheat &Bromley’s Pablo Seema Roca.

James Kingston (Tonbridge) was the 1,500m winner in 4:11.70 ahead of M&Ms Ethan Gear (4:12.07) and Ashford’s Jack Small (4:16.63). Sunday’s u20 men’s 800m final was won by Adam Singleterry (Tonbridge) from Medway & Maidstone’s Luke Stringer. Ashford AC’s Adam Lane took third.

Tonbridge AC’s Alexander Hookway took the shot final victory with a throw of 10.79m but had to settle for second in the discus, with 29.48m. Bexley AC’s Graham Holder (M45) took the discus win (30.68m) and also the hammer final victory with a distance of 47.21m.

Folkestone Running Club’s Tommy Owler won the 400m u17 final (50:75) ahead of M&M’s Benjamin Lineker (52:45).

James Beecroft (Sevenoaks) was u15 boys 100m winner while Medway & Maidstone AC’s Jake Foster clinched the 300m final and M&M’s Alex Dack ran 4:34.30 to take the 1,500m honours. Dack, who is also a member of Deal Tri, also took Sunday’s 800m final win.

Blackheath & Bromley’s Lauren Farley threw 47.85m to win the women’s senior javelin.

Bexley’s Nicola Gregory won in the shot final (8.13m) and the discus (28.78m). Molly Walsh (Blackheath & Bromley) took the hammer event with 46.20m.

In the under-17 women, there were wins for Blackheath & Bromley’s Faith Akinbileje in both the 100m and 200m, while Chiani-Rae Garland (Bexley) won the 800m and Charlotte Henrich (Invicta East Kent) clinched the 300m county title in a time (40:99) that puts her second in the UK. She also won silver in the 200m in an agonisingly close race that saw her 0.01s off the first place

Amy-Jayne Goodhand, also from Invicta East Kent, ran home first in the 1,500m.

Lily Murray, of Swale Combined AC, clinched gold with a UK leading throw of 50.46m in the under-17 hammer.

Dylan Purton (M&M) was the u17 men’s 200m winner while Invicta East Kent’s Jamie Keir won both the 800m and 1500m finals.

There was plenty of competition in the under-15 shot where Poppy Rowland-Hill (9.69m) took gold ahead of Hope Still (Dartford Harriers, 9.45m) and Amelia Lawton (Invicta East Kent, 8.67m). Hope won the discus event with a throw of 26.15m and also the hammer with 37.37m.

Lawton picked up four medals in total with PBs in the discus and javelin.

Poppy-Rowland ended up with four medals, smashing Thanet AC's club record to win the 300m, adding to her shot put success, a silver in the 75m hurdles and a high jump bronze.

Under-15 boys 200m winner was Sevenoaks’ James Beecroft (23:55)

Dartford Grammar School boasted the winner of the under-15 shot, with Damien Osei-Bonsu throwing 11.69m, and the discus event as Olamide Adebiyi managed 32.15m to beat M&M’s Max Thorne (32.04m) and fellow Dartford Grammar pupil Arun Menon (30.48m) in third.

Thorne won the hammer (39.66m) with Adebiyi second with 34.54m and Brandon Nathan (Dartford Grammar) third. Tonbridge AC’s Joe Stone jumped 5.76m to win the u15 long jump.

Invicta East Kent picked up a haul of medals. Qi-Chi Ukpai won a gold in the high jump with a personal best of 1.58m and silver in the long jump with another PB.

Full results can be found on the Kent Athletics website

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