Shrewsbury Athletic Club Junior runner Jack Kinrade is the England Under 15 Boys 800m champion. Jack capped a fine summer at the England Athletics Age Group Championship in Manchester this weekend, running 2:00.03 to win the national championship. In a tight race Jack kicked strongly around the top bend of the track, putting in a powerful finish to pull away from his competitors. “It wasn’t a race for times, it was one for positions and with 250m to go I felt there was a gap, so I went for it from there” Jack explained after the race.

Meanwhile, a number of long-standing junior county records fell at the Shropshire County Championships. Iris Downes continued her strong summer by taking the Under 17 Girls 800m championship in a time of 2:12.8, breaking a county record that had stood since 1983. Her success was matched by Kati Hulme, winning the Under 20 Womens 400m Hurdles in a time of 66.7, breaking a record set in 1996. Kati’s coach Arnie Wray said “It is well deserved for Kati. Kati is a great athlete and person who has been with Shrewsbury AC since primary school. Breaking this record in a year of restrictions and complexity, along with Kati going to University makes the achievement even more remarkable”. There was similar success for the Under 17 Girls 4x100m relay team, whose time of 50.6 broke a county record set in 2002.

Photo: Jack Kinrade runs for home in the Under 15 Boys England 800m Championship

Report compiled by Matt Wooden