Written by Pat Cornell
ESM’s senior track and field team got their season off to a flying start with a comfortable victory in their Southern Athletic League match at Perivale on Saturday, 17th May 2025, scoring 390 points well ahead of Highgate in second with 360.5 and the other 6 clubs well behind.
On the track, the men’s 400m hurdlers got the team off to a winning start, Gus Carter showing that he is on the way back from injury and illness with a clear all the way win in 55.84 with Steve Reid taking the B string just as easily in his first senior race. The sprinters too were in excellent form, Kai English won the 100 easing down in 11.28 and Theo Jarrett comfortably won the B race in 11.78. Kai completed a double in the 200m with 22.87 into a very strong headwind with Lashaun Thorpe winning the B very easily in 22.94, a very impressive first senior race. In the 400, Ed Flewitt stepped down in distance to finish 2nd in the A race in 53.87 with Kevin Prempeh leading all the way and holding on strongly to win the B in 53.13. After this, wins in both the relays were hardly surprising, Harjeet Gill, Kaison Stewart, Theo Jarrett and Kai English, well clear in the 4 x 100 and Gus Carter, Harjeet Gill, Kevin Prempeh and Kai English always in the lead for a wide margin victory in the 4 x 400. In the women’s 100 Flora Allan was a very close 5th in the A with Ashara Prasai 3rd in the B. In the 200, Corinna Marwick finished very strongly for 2nd place in a personal best of 27.16 with Katharine Boissiere making a very good come back after a year out with injury to finish 3rd. In the 400, Corinna Marwick led from the gun to win in a personal best of 59.46, while in the B Reha Siyani finished very strongly to take 2nd in a personal best of 61.65. The 4 x 400 had a close battle on the first 3 legs until Corinna Marwick stormed off on the anchor leg to pull well clear of the opposition. The 4 x 100 (Corinna Marwick, Solaris Salvucci de Oliveira, Ashara Prasai, Leila Newth) finished a very close 2nd after Leila made up a lot of ground on the last leg. The strength in depth of the Club’s sprinting was illustrated by the number of athletes who competed in non-scoring races: Amy Bradley ( 400 62.76); Nathaniel Ulasi (100, 11.81); Kaison Stewart (100 11.90, 200 24.41)); Sion Jones (100 12.00); Connor Chung (100 11.81); Chris Burbidge (100 13.06); Oskar Cizic (100 13.28); Lashaun Thorpe (100 11.44); Anag Patel ( 100 12.31); Amit Kumar (100 12.41 200 25.91)
In the men’s middle distance events Huw Baker was a close 2nd in the 800 with Fergal Dunne 5th in the B. In the 1500, Fergus Jones was 3rd with 4:22.82 with Max Callender-Galbraith 2nd in the B race in 4:26.40. Both 3000m runners were 2nd, Fergus Jones with 9;28.41 and Erney Perdomo Figueroa in 9:58.32. In the steeplechase, Noah Levy improved his technique as the race went on to win in 11:28.55 while in the B race Phil York was 2nd. Sonia Ouzhene was 4th in the women’s 800 in 2:44.57. In the field events the women’s jumpers and throwers were dominant. Josie Booker won both high (1.38) and triple jump (10.87), Leila Newth (5.37) and Flora Allan (4.56) won both strings of the long jump and Helen Leadbetter won the pole vault with 2.50. Elizabeth Boissiere achieved a hat trick of victories in the shot (9.26, PB), discus (24.98) and B javelin (26.33). Debra Booker won the B discus and was 6th in the hammer, with Julianna Fuchs winning the B event. Solaris Salvucci de Oliveira returned after a long layoff to win the javelin with a fine throw of 29.57. In the men’s throws, the Alfonso brothers performed very well in their first competition for the Club. Yeray was 2nd in the shot (8.64), 3rd in the discus, 2nd in the hammer and 3rd in the B javelin. Dylan was 4th in the B shot and 2nd in the B hammer. In between his sprints, Kaison Stewart found time to take 5th place in the javelin while Shawn Jarrett was 2nd in the B discus. In the jumps, Rocky Lee was 2nd in the triple (12.20), Junias Lee was 3rd in the high and 5th in the long and Bilal Yusuf 4th in the B long.