Chingford League Race 3: WGEL athletes shine
On Wednesday 20thOctober the WGEL U11-U15 squad gathered at the third Chingford League race of season. It was spectacular setting, under floodlights at the Olympic Velopark in Stratford. The terrain was smooth tarmac but the course was deceptively tough. It featured a number of long hills around an undulating 2km loop for U11-U13 and 5km for U15 athletes.
The squad had performed excellently in the first two races, heading the table in both boys and girls U11, U13 individual and team events and in the U15 girl competition. The WGEL squad included both race-hardened and beginner athletes with the novice racers gaining experience and the front runners challenging themselves with teammates and local peers. WGEL had 37 athletes competing from a total field of 87 on the start line in the U11&U13 race which, under the floodlights, looked amazing!
Race Report – U13
All U11 and U13 athletes set off together, positioned around 200m behind the senior women and the U15/U17 race which also set off at the same time. This produced an amazing sight, with everyone poised for the starting pistol (whistle!) but also resulted in a slightly hectic start!
The course was hilly, but the tarmac surface made for a fast race. First home in the U13 Boys race were the WGEL pairing of Harry Stockill and Daniel Arnold. This was another great run from these two who led from the start. They are improving week after week and put a good gap of 20 seconds between themselves and third placed Luke Bennett (Orion), the winner of Race 1. Harry raced home in 7mins 30s with Daniel second in 7mins 36s.
WGEL athlete Oliver Brown was involved in a good race with Freddie Holling-Yates (Orion) behind the front three. It was a fine run from Oliver, who retained his composure despite one of his shoes flying off at the start. He held it in his hand for the duration, only to finish 1 second behind Holling-Yates (4th) to secure fifth place! Thomas Niewczasinski-Kirkland was next home for WGEL. Following his 4th place finish in Race 2 with 6thon the night and 2 seconds behind Oliver. Stephen Ng continued his great run of form with 10th place which meant WGEL had 5 boys in top 10. Special mention also to Luke Stoneham (28th) who opened his winter season with very good debut run.
In the U13 Girls, WGEL athlete Jasmine Hall took the honours, winning the race in 7mins 54s. Jasmine showed great poise and strength, moving through the field to finish 13 seconds ahead of second placed Pia Trautmansdorf (Orion). Trautmansdorf has finished runner-up in all three races behind WGEL athletes but she is incredibly consistent and a great tussle is taking place at the top of the league.
Faye Owers (3rd) was next home for WGEL. Faye missed Race 2 due to a clash with London Mini Marathon, but was pleased to be back and ran a superb race. Faye led home a fabulous quartet of WGEL athletes with Tess Nobelt (4th) coming back to form, closely flowed by Amber Higgs-Smith (5th), Isla Fulling (6th) and Ella Traynor (7th). This was tremendous packing and with team mates Eva Whetham (9th), Chloe Jennings (10th) and Darcey Mackenzie (11th) it was an incredible evening for the U13 Girls!
WGEL Results (U13 Boys) Harry Stockhill (1st), Daniel Arnold (2nd), Oliver Brown (5th), Thomas N-K (6th), Stephen NG (10th), Yuvan Kumar (17th) and Luke Stoneham (28th)
WGEL Results (U13 Girls) Jasmine Hall (1st), Faye Owers (3rd), Tess Noblet (4th), Amber Higgs-Smith (5th), Isla Fulling (6th), Ella Traynor (7th), Eva Whetham (9th), Chloe Jennings (10th) and Darcey Mackenzie (11th)
Race Report – U11 Athletes
WGEL athlete Eric Frith maintained his great form after winning Race 2 to claim fourth place in Race 3. Eric was in a good pack at the front of the U11 race from the start. The pack was led by Rory Willis (London Heathside), the winner from Race 1. Willis took the win, opening a decent lead into the final 400m. Right behind this lead group were WGEL athletes Oskar Prince (5th) and Toby Taylor (6th). These were good runs from Eric, Oskar and Toby. The three lads worked well, pushing each other forward. Henry Richards (8th) was next home for WGEL, continuing his progress and with team mate Okkie Lee (9th) immediately behind they made sure that WGEL packed out the top ten! Special mention to young Jack Arnold. Jack tripped at the start but got up, never gave in and finished in 18th. Superstar.
The U11 Girls race was won by WGEL athlete Eva Prince. Eva was third in the last race and, with team mates Emily Mathais and Zoe Wright missing, she took full advantage. Eva is bottom year U11 and a very talented multi event athlete. Directly behind Eva were a crop of fine young WGEL Athletes. Marissa Higgs-Smith was second, Sophia Parker third and Mayowa Alake fourth. They were closely followed by Isla Barron (6th) and Bridey Kelly (9th) who again ensured a superb packing amongst the top ten. Capping off a fine evening were our young athletes, Hannah Richards (12th), Isabella Wheatley (16th), Alice Mackenzie (17th) and Maia Lalani (18th). The talent amongst this young group of athletes is phenomenal!
WGEL Results (U11 Boys) Eric Frith (4th), Oskar Prince (5th), Toby Taylor (6th), Henry Richards (8th), Okkie Lee (9th), Ewan Jennings (13th), Daniel N-K (14th), Edward Sheridan (16th), Harry Mcnally (17th), Jack Arnold (18th) and Jasper Ashford (21st)
WGELResults (U11 Girls) Eva Prince (1st), Marissa Higgs-Smith (2nd), Sophia Parker (3rd), Mayowa Alake (4th), Isla Barron (6th), Bridey Kelly (9th), Hannah Richards (15th), Alice Mackenzie (17th) and Maia Lalani (18th)
Race Report - U15 Athletes
In the U15 Girls race, WGEL athlete Matilda Frith, winner of Race 1 was back! Matilda missed Race 2 due to the London Mini Marathon, but once again showed how far she has come by returning to take another win in U15G category. Matilda is still lower age group U15 and her improvement is joy to watch. Well done.
In the U15 Boys race, new signing Joseph Arnold ran a brave debut. Leading at 1500m, the crowd drew their breath. Thankfully, Joseph knew to control his effort from there on and, despite falling off the back of the leaders, held on for a tremendous 3rd place, with fellow WGEL debutant Aiden O’Driscoll an excellent 18thplace.
The Chingford League squad now heads toward Race 4 at Trent Park in the final league race of 2021 as part of the North West London Fraternity Cup.