Gold Stars

‘Let’s see what I can do,’ was 18 year-old Conor Kelly’s parting shot before leaving for the European Under 20 Championships in Tampere, Finland over 8-11 August. What he really meant was only gold in the 400m would do. 
 
After the hurt of settling for bronze at the European Under-18 Championships in Slovakia last year, where he had hoped for so much more, winning in Tampere was the single thing on his mind. His whole year of training, physio and working with a dietician was geared towards that moment when he blazed across the line to take the title by over half a second in 45.83 – a PB and Irish U20 record. ‘I can’t stop smiling; it was special’ he told the Irish media clamouring for interviews and photos after he was crowned European U20 Champion – but then it is rare to see Conor not smiling near an athletics track. Training and competing is simply what he loves to do. 

‘I’m still in the clouds, running off adrenaline’ he said, as he brought his gold medal back to Wimbledon Park to show his friends in Paul Miller’s training group (above). It has been some year for Conor, who also represents his Irish club, Finn Valley AC in County Donegal. Going into the Championships he was the clear favourite, having run a blistering 45.85 at the Morton Games in Dublin last month, nailing his target of dipping under 46 seconds before his 18th birthday with a whole six days to spare!  That milestone followed on from claiming the Senior Irish Indoor title in February at just seventeen.
 
In Tampere he delivered a masterclass on how to negotiate Championship rounds safely while keeping something in reserve for the final, easing his way through the heats and semi-final in 46.94 and 46.58 respectively. ‘The goal is always to win each round, but by as little as possible; you’ve got to keep the legs light. In the semis, though, I wanted to make a bit of statement’, he confesses, ‘so I went for it over the first 300m to try and get ahead, then make it look like I was taking it easy!’
 
In the final he flew out of the blocks, then held his form before powering down the home straight. ‘I’d been saying all along I wanted to go for the Championship record (45.36 set by Roger Black way back in 1985). I told myself I was going to blast through 21.2 at 200m, stay confident and try to hold on for the record, but the pressure hit me in the call room before the final! I got scared, played it safer and focused on winning instead. I needed that gold!  But there is way more in the tank. I felt like I could have run a couple of times again, which pays tribute to the training I do. I definitely feel in 45.3/45.4 shape.’

Next stop for Conor is The University of Texas at Austin, where he has a sports scholarship and will be under the direction of the renowned Track and Field Head Coach Edrick Floréal, who guided Saint Lucien sprinter Julien Alfred to the gold in the women’s 100m at the Paris Olympics – so the choice of university ‘was an easy decision’, confirmed Conor as he prepared to fly out last week. ‘I need to get to the US to get re-grounded and ready for the World Championships (where he hopes and expects to be selected for the Irish 4 x 400m mixed relay squad in a few weeks’ time). After Tokyo it will be back to work, get into training, see the dietician, get the plan, and go from there. It’s going to be hard work, but not hard at the same time, because I am doing what I love. Of course you have to make sacrifices, but you can’t have it all and I choose athletics! It will be a whole new level and I can’t wait.
 
‘Next year is crucial’, he insists. ‘I need to run under 45 seconds to be competitive. The next goal is to break the Irish record of 44.77 held by David Gillick and going forward I want to double up in the 200m and 400m, hopefully at the U23 European Championships in two years’ time!’
 
Currently only GB international Dwayne Cowan sits ahead of him on the Hercules All Time ranking list for 400m. How long will it be before Dwayne’s time of 45.34 is well and truly in his sights?

Meanwhile...

While Conor was winning the European U20 title in Finland, closer to home there was a gold medal at the England U15 & U17 Championships in Birmingham for another young athlete who has been enjoying a stellar year. Tommaso (Tommy) Crosara took the U15 Boys 300m title in 36.66, having set his fastest time of 36.06 in the heats, before running 36.16 in the semi-final.

Amazingly Tommaso only began competing on the track in April 2024, having started out with the Club as a cross country runner before his speed over shorter distances became evident – yet in February this year he won the silver medal in the 300m at the England U15/U17/U20 Indoor Championships in Sheffield. In May he was crowned Surrey Champion; in June he won silver at the Southern U13/U15/U17 Championships at Crystal Palace, and in July clinched gold at the English Schools Championships in Birmingham. Even more impressively, thanks to his PB of 35.76 in the heats of the Schools Championships, Tommaso currently tops the UK ranking list for his age group over 300m.

'Tommy is one of the country’s most exciting junior sprinters,' believes his coach, Bjorn Jansen.'I think the qualities that have allowed him to rise so quickly come down to mindset and discipline. His ability to work hard, trust the process, believe in the plan and the 50-50 relationship between coach and athlete, has created the platform for his success. Just as important has been his ability to handle pressure without affecting his race model; that’s a rare quality in an athlete so young, and shows real maturity at Championship level.

'Introducing Tommy to a broader support team, including his physio and nutritionist, has helped to give him the tools to perform and recover to his best', says Bjorn. 'At only 14, he is developing across the 100m and 200m distances, while steadily building toward an eventual move from 300m into the 400m'.  Watch this space!

Also competing in Birmingham in the 3000m was U17 Isabella Harrison. Having posted the fastest women’s time of the night (4:49.87) in the Dave Clarke Mile on 23 July, Isabella bravely took on the lead in the mixed U17/U15 3000m and looked to have stretched out enough of a gap to take the win, but was run down in the final straight, to come away with the U17 bronze medal (left).

A week later however she brushed away the disappointment to set a new track record in the 1500m in the Stratford Speed event at the Community Track at the London Stadium

And the curtain comes down on the Summer Open Series

While Conor, Tommaso and Isabella were winning medals in Tampere and Birmingham, back at Wimbledon Park the Club staged the final distance event of the summer series, the 5000m Festival, with BBQ, beer and music. Fastest HW man was Jonny Cornish in the Elite race which was dominated by UK Athletics Championships silver medallist Jack Kavanagh, who set a new meeting record of 13:44.95.

Returning to the track after some time due to a foot problem Jonny clocked 14:48.51 in that final race of the night, while earlier there was an impressive 5000m debut for U20 Rafferty Haigh who finished in 15:18.00. Ruby Carter’s time of 16:46.24 was the fastest of the HW women runners, despite being outside her PB of 16:36.29 (her first time over the distance) at the Comeback 5000m in Battersea Park in May. As always at these meetings there were Club PBs across the board, probably none bigger than that of U20 steeplechaser Tom Davies who took 50 seconds off his previous 5000m best to break 17 minutes for the first time in 16:56.72.