County Championships Report – Day 1
Team Kennet athletes delivered an outstanding opening day at the Berkshire County Championships, returning home with an impressive medal haul of 4 Gold, 5 Silver and 5 Bronze medals across a packed schedule of competition.
The Altuntas family once again enjoyed a hugely successful day in the field events. In the Under 16 boys competition, Berkay Altuntas claimed County gold in the Discus with a superb throw of 41.86m, before adding a Silver medal in the Shot with 13.25m. Older brother Turkay Altuntas continued the family success in the Under 18 age group, securing Discus gold with a commanding 52.45m throw.
Also striking gold in the Under 18 category was Theo Nightingale, who cleared 1.85m to win the High Jump title in style.
The fourth gold medal of the day came from Senior/Veteran athlete Bart Kuijten, who produced a strong performance in the 5000m, winning in 17:44.92.
There were several excellent Silver medal performances throughout the day. Oskar Larkin narrowly missed out on High Jump gold in the Under 16 boys event, losing on countback despite clearing 1.51m.
One of the races of the day came in the Under 14 girls 1500m, where a thrilling three-way battle unfolded from start to finish. Quinn Joyce secured Silver in 5:02.08, while Maisie McCurtin earned Bronze after leading parts of the race, finishing in 5:04.78. Teammate Darcey Claridge also competed strongly to place 6th in 5:30.99.
In the Under 14 girls Javelin, Matilda Clare produced a huge throw of 28.67m, earning Silver, while teammate Ella McDonald added another medal to the tally with Bronze thanks to a throw of 23.33m.
Another Bronze medal came courtesy of Zoe Dickson in the Under 18 girls Hammer, where she threw 31.64m.
Back in the Under 16 boys age group, Oliver Young sprinted to Bronze in the 200m Final with 25.12, after earlier finishing third in his heat with 25.3. Teammate Matais Manrique Hueglass also qualified for the final after placing second in his heat with 26.61, although unfortunately he was unable to make the final start line. Earlier in the day, he narrowly missed out on a Long Jump medal with a best leap of 5.10m.
The Under 16 boys Discus also brought more success for Team Kennet, with Rueben Kuijten claiming Bronze thanks to a throw of 34.50m, while Oscar Hooks finished just outside the medals in 4th place with 32.06m.
Several athletes also produced excellent performances despite narrowly missing podium positions. In the Under 14 boys events, Seb Lane finished an excellent 4th in the Long Jump with 4.49m, before adding another 4th place in the 200m Final in 27.69.
Teammate Alfie Cronk also endured a frustratingly close day, finishing 4th in both the Discus (18.13m) and Shot (6.86m).
Meanwhile, Under 14 athlete Matilda Clare rounded off a busy day by reaching the 100m Final, finishing 8th in 13.98 after qualifying from the heats in 13.83.
Away from Berkshire, the Hampshire Championships also brought success for Team Kennet athletes. Catherine Wood secured Silver in the Under 16 girls Shot with 9.54m, while Olivia Bentley safely progressed through to Sunday’s 800m Final after finishing second in her heat in 2:23.02.
An exceptional opening day for Team Kennet, with medals, personal bests, finals qualification and strong performances across every age group.
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