TAVISTOCK Athletic Club’s junior athletes delivered an outstanding set of performances at the English Schools Athletics Championships at the weekend, held at Birmingham’s Alexander Stadium.

The prestigious national event, showcasing the top school-aged athletes in the country, saw the TAC contingent make their mark– particularly in the hammer throw.

Leading the way was Tegan Brown, claiming a gold medal in the Intermediate Girls Hammer with a dominant display. Her victory not only crowned her English Schools champion but also secured her a place on the England Schools team for the International Schools Athletics Championships taking place in Derby on Saturday, July 19, a remarkable achievement.

In the same event, Hazel Stead also put in a strong showing, finishing seventh in a highly competitive field, further highlighting TAC’s depth in the discipline.

There were several personal bests for the team; Sasha Kilbane, making her championship debut in the Junior Girls Hammer, rose to the occasion by throwing a personal best to also finish seventh – a hugely promising start at this level of competition.

In the Senior Boys Hammer, Owen Fileman continued the PB trend by adding 2m to his distance and gaining eighth place. Meanwhile, rounding off her career in school athletics, Phoebe Milburn came fifth in the Senior Girls Hammer, narrowly missing the medals but showing strong form throughout the competition.

TAC’s presence extended to the track, where Freddie Whybrow impressed in the Junior Boys 1500m. Battling sweltering conditions, Whybrow qualified fourth in his heat in commanding fashion before returning the next day to run two seconds faster and finish tenth in the final against a high-calibre field.

Beyond the top eight finishes, several other TAC athletes earned the prestigious honour of competing at English Schools – an achievement in itself given the tough qualifying standards.

Evie Palmer placed 12th in the Intermediate Girls Javelin, while Charlotte Doney (representing Cornwall Schools) finished 13th in the Intermediate Girls Discus, both showing composure and potential on the national stage.

In the Senior Girls Hammer, Ella Patterson (representing Somerset) and Louisa Hess placed 13th and 14th respectively, gaining valuable experience against the country’s best.

Team coach Elaine Fileman praised the team’s collective efforts: “To get to English Schools is a huge achievement in itself. Every athlete who qualified has shown exceptional commitment, and whether they medalled, made the top eight, or gained valuable experience, they’ve all done TAC and the town of Tavistock proud.

“What made the athletes’ performances even more impressive was the extreme heat they had to contend with throughout the weekend. With temperatures soaring on both days of competition, the athletes showed resilience and determination in coping with the extreme conditions.”

These achievements from the TAC youngsters is a steady progression of training, effort and success, with recent events including the Devon Schools Championships, the South West Schools Championships and the South West League Meeting.

The training regime for juniors within TAC offers a pathway to success, carefully managed by a range of experienced and fully qualified coaches who ensure that nobody tries to do too much too soon. The range of disciplines includes not just track and field, but cross country, fell running and sports hall.

Primarily, the aim is to ensure that juniors from year groups two to 8+ enjoy their experience within TAC and are supported to whatever level they are comfortable to take their sport.