Scott leaps his way to a bronze medal
Published at 09:04, Monday, 16 July 2012
A TEENAGER from Prudhoe is the pride of his county as he was the only athlete representing Northumberland to win a medal at a national championships.
Scott Hall (18) scooped a bronze medal in the triple jump at the English Schools’ Athletics Association Track and Field Championships at Gateshead International Stadium.
Although he jumped a new personal best distance of 14.56 metres, it was not enough for a higher place on the podium.
Despite that, Hall was the highest placed athlete from all of the schools in Northumberland and will have his bronze medal as a permanent reminder of his achievement.
The third place finish was a great way to bow out of the English Schools’ scene, leaving his best until last.
He said: “It feels really good to be the only one from Northumberland with a medal, especially as it is my last year as a schoolboy.
“It was my third year, but this year was the only time I came close as I finished seventh and then sixth while I was starting to get involved in athletics.
“I beat my PB by 28cm, so I was really pleased with that, and it feels really good to have a national bronze. I don’t think it has really sunk in yet!
“Fifty percent of this medal is dedicated to my coach Jacqui Pringle, while I would also like to thank the manager of Northumberland Schools, Richard Brady, for all his help.”
Going into the championships, Hall’s previous PB stood at 14.28m but he was confident he could beat that and challenge for a medal.
But he had a lot of pressure on his young shoulders, with people expecting a podium finish as he was ranked third nationally in the event.
And things started horribly for the Prudhoe lad as he suffered cramp in his first jump, following this with another no jump to leave him requiring a championship saving effort on his third.
And he produced just that, jump number three putting him in third place, where he stayed after all the jumps had been completed.
He said: “I was under pressure to go through to a further three jumps, but I chopped my strides to make sure I made it.
“From that, I just improved in the final rounds and that kept me in third although I was really nervous because I didn’t want anyone to overtake me.
“It feels like all the work has paid off and I am looking to build on this success in the U20 indoors and outdoors international championships.”
The bronze medal in the championships has rounded off a remarkable few months for Hall who received the Rory Iceton Award from Prudhoe High School before he finished there recently.
The trophy is handed out to the person members of staff believe has shown incredible sporting achievement, and Hall was the perfect candidate for the recognition.
Rob West, head of PE at Prudhoe, said: “Scott is a really dedicated and talented sportsman who does a lot of graft. And he is also a really good lad and he deserves all the success he gets.”
Meanwhile, three Haydon Bridge High School students enjoyed success when they represented Northumberland in the North-East Combined Events Regional Finals at Jarrow’s Monkton Stadium.
In the two-day event involving teams from North Yorkshire, Cleveland, Humberside, Durham and Northumberland, Nathan Lee finished first from the county in the intermediate boys octathlon.
Over the eight events, Lee posted a new school record of 3316 points, seeing him finish 11th overall.
Also finishing first from the Northumberland participants was Charlotte Sadler, managing seventh overall in the in the senior girls’ heptathlon.
Her performances included a new school record in the long jump with 4.61 metres.
In the junior girls' pentathlon, Catherine Sadler was second placed for Northumberland and 11th overall as she established a new Year 9 school record score of 1754 points.
Published by http://www.hexhamcourant.co.uk
More sport
More news
Quick links
