The Junior section continues to grow both in numbers (117 Athletes) and in the range of age groups, writes head coach Darrell Smith. We had 17 U17/U20s compete for the Club in 2025.
One of the main Team objectives for the season was for our U13/U15s to earn promotion to Division 1 of the Kent Young Athlete League. We didn’t quite get there, placing 3rd in Div 2 and missing Promotion by one Team spot.
I look back on the 4 matches with great pride. Our Team is well balanced across the age groups and we were consistent in all matches, which was critical to our eventual 3rd place. I’m pretty sure we will be even stronger next year and we can make an even stronger challenge to get back to the Top Division in 2027.
And it’s clear that we are competing against clubs with much bigger teams. Blackheath Harriers fielded over 200 Athletes over the 4 matches, whereas SAC fielded just 54, and that 54 were 80% of our total Athletes eligible to compete.
Once again, we competed in the Southern League, an adult League which I feel serves as an excellent vehicle to allow our U17s/U20s to continue to compete for the Club in a League.
Thirty Athletes competed at County Champs (Indoors, Kent Club Champs and Kent Schools, Kent Relays) with 9 medals won over the course of the Season. We had two Kent Champions, Liv Mutungawazi won Kent Indoor and Outdoor Champs at 200m and Imogen Mace winning the Kent Schools U14 Javelin Champs. Both Girls qualified for the English Schools and placed 8th and 9th respectively. Also representing Kent, U13s Georgina Davidson-Nwosu (Discus) and Cora Old (800m) placed 3rd and 9th respectively at the Derek Crookes Inter County Match.
Twenty Club Records were broken and in terms of UK Rankings, we had 8 athletes ranked in the top 100 in the UK in their age groups with 6 in the top 35.