Bridgewater athletes compete with the best at the AJIS Indoor Athletics Championships

On Wednesday 31st January 32 excited Bridgewater Prep 3-6 athletes joined over 700 other athletes from 27 schools, to compete in the AJIS Indoor Athletics Championships 2018.

The event took place at the impressive Robin Park Arena in Wigan, with athletes taking part in a variety of track, field and relay events. Runners were selected to compete in 1 lap and 3 lap races, with jumpers participating in the vertical standing jump, standing long jump, the standing triple jump and the speed bounce. Throwing events included the soft javelin throw and the chest push, whilst the balance beam, the 6 lap relay and the obstacle relay completed the line up of activities.

The atmosphere inside the arena was a mixture of nervous tension and excitement. Everybody wanted to do their very best and were eager to set new personal goals and try to get onto the podium. With 27 competitors in every individual event, getting a gold, silver or bronze was going to be a really tough challenge for all 700 athletes.

Although Bridgewater did not manage to pick up a podium spot on the day, there were some notable achievements by so many of our athletes. The performance of the day went to Matteo, who narrowly missed a bronze by finishing in 4th place in the u-10s Chest Push. Alfie T set off like a train in the obstacle relay and was in first place when handing the baton over to his team mates. Unfortunately, the opposition managed to peg back the early lead and a medal opportunity passed by.

Daniel L finished in a very creditable 6th place in the ultra competitive 1 lap sprint race.
Lewis C held remained steady for 30 seconds to get 7th spot in the balance event. Harvey O jumped into 9th in the standing long jump, with Dante and Ethan C in 11th and 12th in the Soft Javelin and Chest Push. Jake M produced a great leap to finish 6th in the Vertical Jump and Oliver A 7th in the Soft Javelin throw.

Dalia held her nerve to take 9th in the balance event, with Isabella T and Ayizee finishing just outside the top 10 in their throwing events. Ellen G took the honours for the girls team with a rapid 7th place in the 1 lap sprint and Ellen also finished in 10th in the Speed Bounce. Jess W completed the more notable performances by Bridgewater athletes with an 10th place in the Standing Triple Jump.

Overall, it was a fantastic day of sporting drama, with Bridgewater athletes taking on challenges with confidence and displaying excellent sportsmanship throughout the event. All credit to the organisers of the event and the 27 schools and 700 athletes who created so many thrilling races and provided sporting memories to be proud of.