Congratulations to Jack Kirby, winner of the Hillingddon AC athlete of the year.
The nominations were Julia Bleasdale, Matt Fayers and Jack Kirby who were selected by the HAC membership. This year, in a change of format, an independent judge decided who won.
Click on “read more” to read the full nominations.
The final decision lay with someone independent of the club and who has a broad knowledge of athletics, Dr. Costas Karageoghis of the Brunel University Faculty of Sports Science and Team Manager and Hon. Life President Brunel University Athletics Club.
Julia Bleasdale Senior Woman
Following a spell training in Kenya the year started with a run in the Inter Counties Championships, Birmingham on 5th March where she finished 5th and gained selection for the GB Team for the World Cross Country Championships in Punta Umbria, Spain, where she finished in 59th place.
The track season saw her line up in the 5000m World Trial and UK Championships which she won in anew PB and club record time of 15-49.02. This gave the club their first UK Champion since Richard Ashe won the 1500m some 15 years ago.
Her next race was in the Aviva London Grand Prix where she narrowly failed to lower her PB but still set a new PB and club record at the 3000m mark.
The track season ended with a 5000m race in the Pallio della Quercia meeting in Rovereto in Italy where she finished 8th but recorded another PB and club record of 15-44.00.
To finish the year she ran in the McCain UK Cross Challenge and European Trials in Liverpool at the end of November where she placed 6th and making her a strong challenger for the 2012 team.
Matt Fayers Under 20 Man
Starting the year with a fine run in the McCain UK Cross Challenge in Cardiff where he finished 5th. He followed this up with 3rd place in the Middlesex Championships and 6th in the County Schools’.
Running indoors in Birmingham in February he lowered his overall PB to 1-55.29 which ranked him 13th in the UK. He followed this a week later with 6th place in the English Championships with a time of 3-57.38 and a ranking of 7th.
Turning to the outdoor track he proceeded to lower both his PB and the club record for 800m and 1500m at BMC Gold Standard meetings to 1-51.70 and then 1-51.65. In the 1500m he also assaulted his PB and the club record firstly to 3-53.09 at the BMC Grand Prix, Watford and then a magnificent 3-50.10 in finishing first at a Gold Standard meeting at Stretford.
Jack Kirby Under 15 Boy
The under 15, 80m hurdler ahs ended the year in the top position in the UK rankings for the year. Up to the English Schools Championships he had won every one of his 10 80m hurdles races including the Middlesex County title which he added to the indoor 60m Middlesex Championship which he had won in March. Unfortunately, at the English Schools’, after winning his preliminary heat in a time of11.08, in the semi final he fell heavily and fractured his wrist.
Nevertheless he returned to action eight weeks later and won a further two races including the South of England Championships leaving him undefeated for the year.
Not only did his PB of 11.00 take him to the top of the UK rankings for the year but it also set a new club record. The other notable times he recorded were the Middlesex Schools’ Championship record of 11.17; breaking a record that had stood for 34 years, and 11.08 in the heat at the English Schools’ which was the fastest time run at the event.