Record-breaking Lashaun Thorpe-Mclean sprints to success

By Martin Newth

ESM’s Lashaun Thorpe-Mclean has enjoyed a sensational summer in the 200m, slashing more than a second from his personal best and rewriting the club record books in the process. His remarkable run of form began with gold at the Middlesex County Outdoor Championships in May. Running under the new age groups, his under 18 season started off with him running two personal bests – 21.81 in his heat and then 21.77 in the final to secure the top podium finish. Lashaun then went on to win gold again at the SEAA U14/U16/U18 Championships at the end of June, where he powered to victory in a superb 21.74 into a headwind. He followed that up by once again dipping under 22 seconds while representing Middlesex at the English Schools Championships at Birmingham’s Alexander Stadium. Lashaun then produced another outstanding performance at the England Athletics U16 & 18 Championships in Bedford on 27 July, clocking a lifetime best of 21.68 to qualify comfortably for the final. In doing so, he broke the ESM Under-20 200m club record, a mark that had stood since 1993. Lashaun’s individual success has also been matched in the relay. In July’s Southern Athletics League (SAL) meeting Lashaun joined Sion Jones, Khalil Douma-Bouthiba and Connor Chung to break the club’s Under-20 4 x 100m record, bettering a record time that had stood for more than half a century! With the final SAL fixture and a number of late-season sprint meetings still to come, Lashaun will be hoping to finish an exceptional season by lowering his personal best, and the ESM record, even further.