ATHLETICS: Grantham school student Davey is making an impression

Fifteen-year-old Priory Ruskin Academy student Lewis Davey has had a very busy athletic season in which he has represented Lincolnshire AA, Lincolnshire Schools and the North East of England.

In his first year in the under-17 age group, Lewis is the county champion in 100m hurdles, 400m hurdles and long jump.

In June, as a member of the Lincolnshire Schools’ team in the Anglian Schools ‘Championships at Norwich, he won the 400m hurdles and long jump. A week later he competed in the East Anglian Regional Final of the English Schools’ Combined Events and gained second place and selection for the ESAA Final in Exeter.

The English Schools’ Championships were held in Gateshead in July, where Lewis exceeded his expectations by gaining a place in the final of the 400m hurdles and being placed sixth. As a result he was selected to represent the North East of England in the UK School Games.

In the AAA of England Championships at Bedford in August, Lewis he achieved fifth place in the 400m hurdles, the same position that he went on to achieve in the UK School Games at Loughborough in September, where he was a member of the winning 4x400m relay team.

In the English Schools’ Combined Events Final at Exeter last weekend, Lewis achieved an excellent 12th position with a personal best score of 4,505 points in the under-17 octathlon.

He recorded personal best performances in five of his eight events, setting the fastest 400m time by knocking a whole second off his previous time and placing third in the long jump out of the 39 competitors (Results: long jump 6.42m pb, discus 25.71m pb, javelin 31.49m pb, 400m 50.30sec pb, 100m hurdles 15.08sec, high jump 1.76m pb, shot 9.37m, 1500m 4min 53.06sec).

As an aside, it is interesting to note that Jessica Ennis only finished 15th in the junior girls’ pentathlon when she competed at the ESAA Final.