Great medal collection for City of Portsmouth on national stage

Serena Vincent led the way with another golden success for the club.

She won the under-15 girls’ shot with a superb personal best of 13.58m, the third longest throw of all-time in this age group in the competition.

Her club-mate Sarah Hunt threw 11.11m to take seventh place.

City picked up six medals in total as the club’s superb coaching and development of the athletes paid off in style.

Gaia Osborne was competing with a knee injury and still managed to secure a silver medal in the under-17 shot with a throw of 14.47m.

She was more hampered by the injury in the javelin but still finished fifth (40.93m).

Lachlan Wellington, 15, took the bronze medal with a brilliant performance as a bottom year in the under-17 3,000m.

He ran a brilliant tactical race and set a new personal best of 8min 44.2sec.

Saffron Moore picked up a superb silver medal as a bottom year in the under-15 girls’ 1,500m as she set a new best mark of 4.40.9.

Craig Boardman finished third in the wheelchair 100m race with a personal best of 15.84.

And Kameron Duxbury earned a silver medal with a great throw of 14.65m in the under-15 boys’ shot.

He was also ninth in the javelin with a distance of 46.17m.

Heather Cubbage also performed strongly as a bottom year to seal fifth place in the under-17 discus (36.15m).

And she finished 11th in the hammer (45.78m).

It was a timely boost with City facing a difficult and uncertain winter of training ahead due to the lack of floodlights at their Mountbatten Centre base.

They have been chosen as the winner of the club of the Year category of the England Athletics South East Regional Council Volunteers Award for 2016.

This award highlights all the hard work, dedication and ability within City of Portsmouth and they need support and backing to continue this excellent work.

City coach Paul Farres said: ‘This award is one given not simply for the club’s individual and team performances but, also their place in the community with respect of athletic provision to veterans, disabled, schools and young athletes.

‘As a club we are really proud, especially considering the way the club has been treated with respect to the lights.

‘It really does show what a fantastic group of athletes, parents and coaches we have at the club at the moment.

‘Unfortunately, if things do not change we will be forever fighting to keep our athletes from the inducements from other clubs with far more supportive councils and better facility provision.’

Maisie Grice, from Fareham, also stepped up on to the podium in Bedford.

She picked up a silver medal in the steeplechase with a time of 5.06.

Grice will be running the 1,500m steeplechase for south west England on Friday in the Sainsbury schools games in

Loughborough, then it’s the English schools national heptathlon final in Exeter on 17-18 September.