HERCULES Wimbledon Athletic Club’s younger athletes have been showing good form with medal-winning performances both indoors and outdoors.

Two of Hercules Wimbledon’s runners who have been selected to represent Surrey in next month’s English Schools cross country championships in Kent ran strongly in the South East Schools cross country match at Reigate on Saturday. Kiara Valkenburg was 17th out of the 77 finishers in 15 minutes 59 seconds with clubmate Lulu Weisz 21st in 16:07.

They helped Surrey take third team place behind Kent and Hampshire. Two other Hercules Wimbledon youngsters competing in the event for Surrey were Charlotte Conway, 51st in the intermediate girls race and Iona Alexander, 83rd in the junior girls race.

Another Hercules Wimbledon athlete selected to run in the English Schools Championships is Ava McAndie who was fourth in the junior girls race at the London Schools Championships on Wormwood Scrubs, West London. Three other Hercules Wimbledon runners were well placed in their races. Emanuel pupils Edward Newton and Hugo Kelly were 10th and 14th, respectively in the senior and intermediate boys races while Putney High’s Mae Losson was 13th in the junior girls race.

Hercules Wimbledon’s junior international Chad Miller returned to racing after a nine month gap with two promising runs in Newham & Essex Beagles indoor meeting at Stratford. He finished fourth in the two fastest 60 metres races in 6.81 and 6.80, respectively. His previous competition was last year’s British championships in Manchester in June.

Sixteen Hercules Wimbledon youngsters performed strongly in the London Indoor Games at Lee Valley, posting almost 20 personal best performances. Fresh from his South of England boys Under-13 gold medal-winning performance there a fortnight earlier, Thomas Wharton clocked a lifetime best of 2:18.58 in winning the 800 metres. He improved on his previous best of 2:21.24 set in winning the South of England title.

Isabella Harrison also posted a personal best of 2:32.73 in winning the girls Under-13 800 metres while Nava Jansen also produced a lifetime best shot putt of 9.18 metres in taking third place in the Under-15 girls competition. Schools international Conor Kelly was the best of the club’s five Under-17 sprinters in action, finishing third in his 60 metres race in 7.36.

At the other end of the age range, 49-year-old Felix Allen has been having a hectic time with five races in 10 days. He kicked off by finishing second in his age group in the Run-through Battersea Park Chase the Moon 5km. Two days later he was second in his category in the Last Friday of the Month 5km in Hyde Park. He contested the South of England 15km cross country championship the following day and then, last Friday, he was top finisher in his age group in the Ealing one mile road race.

This weekend Hercules Wimbledon’s athletes will be competing in the Surrey indoor championships at the David Weir Leisure Centre, Carshalton.