TWO TEENAGE girls from Barnsley won gold at the English Athletics Championships in Birmingham.
Maya Schofield, 14, from Royston, took the under 15 800m title with a personal best of 2-11.4.
She took 14 seconds off her previous PB which she set earlier in the month when taking bronze at the English Schools Championships.
Maya said: “I am very happy with the win due to overcoming injury and illness this year and feel I have much more to come.
“My goals are to make it to the Olympics and become Barnsley’s next local hero.”
Vanessa Ndambakuwa, 15, from Grimethorpe, followed up her silver at the English Schools Championships two weeks earlier with victory in the 200m with a PB of 24.04.
The time was more than a second quicker than her previous best.
Vanessa said: “The time was definitely a shock.
“I was ranked 12th wasn’t expecting a medal. Now I am ranked first.
“Now I know I have the talent but I have to stay humble and just take it as it comes.
“But I am really really proud of myself.
“It was just a bit too late to get in the Great Britain under 18s team for the European Championships but that’s something I will be going for next year.”
Vanessa is now due to finish the season off with the North of England Championships and the UK School Games. She was also seventh in the 100m final. Graihagh Turner, from Penistone, came sixth over 1500m.
Meanwhile, at the British Masters in Derby, over35 woman Amanda Potter won the 100m title for the third consecutive year in a new season’s best time.
It was fastest time she has run since 2020. She then went on to gain a silver medal in the 200m. She had recovered from illness to compete.
At the Rockingham Chase, a 5k out and back loop up to Wentworth Woodhouse, Barnsley AC’s Gail Colville finished as third woman with a time of 21-37.
Other Barnsley AC members to finish were Mark Wood (21-25), Chris McNicholas (25-14) and Faye Lund (26-50).
Barnsley AC’s Keith Littlewood finished as first over55 man at the July Leeds 5k with a time of 19-28.
Recently-married couple Ruby and Kai Sunman competed at Trafford AC’s Grand Prix meeting in the 1500m.
The Barnsley AC runners set PBs with Kai running 4-06-00 and Ruby finishing in 4-33-59.
Five Penistone Footpath Runners competed in the 17.8-mile Holmfirth fell race.
The race is considered one of the toughest in the area, involving more than 4000 feet of ascent.
First back for Penistone was Tom Fryers in 27th place with a time of 3-55-20, while club-mate Chris Hodgson was third in the over50 category with a time of 4-07-27.
Also taking part was Simon Pike, who has recently begun his 15-part fundraising challenge in aid of Breast Cancer Now, which will culminate with four marathons in seven weeks next year.
Simon finished in 4-36-37 after completing a triathlon one week prior.
Penistone’s George Parr was second in the four-mile Big Stone Fell Race.
His time was 30-58, just one second ahead of third.
