Wimbledon Park opened their revamped athletics track with some fast racing as the Herc Wimbo 1,500m Festival, writes George Mallett.
The annual event sees a whole score of athletes set new personal bests over 14 seeded races, with everything from causal joggers to international athletes.
The track has been closed for the last month, undergoing a deep clean which many feel has made the once tired stadium seem brand new.
In the evening’s fastest race Charlie Eastaugh was Hercules’ first finisher in ninth (3:51.90), narrowly ahead of Charlie Wyllie in ninth in 3.52.09.
Both were highly-respectable performances given the quality of the athletes up front. Professional athlete Charlie Wheeler was edged out by Luke Shaw, the latter running 3:45.24.
The performance of the day must go to U15 Isabella Harrison, who clocked an almost 20-second PB for sixth place in race five. Her 4:32.10 is the third fastest by a UK U15 in 2023 and the 47th quickest of any athlete competing in that age group in history.
Isaac Lutaya led home a Hercules top four in 4:29.64 in race four. Lutaya was followed by Noah Fernandez (4:32.69), Zachary Elliott (4:40.27) and Pancho Panchev (4:42.13). Sam Dyson in sixth (4:44.98) and John Foley in seventh (4:45.95) continued some heavy yellow-and-red representation.
In the second quickest race of the day Archie Walton finished just outside four minutes for 10th, overtaking Jonathan Cornish in the final half lap. Cornish finished in 3.01:42 for 12th.
U17 Benjy Street ran away from the field to clock a new PB of 4:17.43 in race seven. Jamie Bannister (4:22.65) was fourth, almost four seconds better than his old PB.
Cameron Elliott clocked his own new PB, finishing second in 4:08.93, with Eoin Brady and Hector Revill battling it out for sixth and seventh in 4:12.08 and 4:12.27 respectively in race 10.
New PBs were also clocked by Theo Webb (4:13.84), 13th in race 11, Henry Silverstein, 10th in 4:07.68 in race 11, and by 10th-placed Jack Hobden in race eight (4:21.28).
Hercules’ U20s posted the second fastest 4x100m time in the country this year. The quartet of Daniel Guinness, Joshua Martin, Marcus Gayle and Freddie Arkell set a new all-time U20 record for the club of 42.22s and in the process also beat the South of England U17 Track and Field team, winning their race in Tooting Bec.
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