Thomas Hinton, 16, has been taking part in athletics for three years now and competes in the 100, 200 and 400 metre sprints. First introduced to the sport through his love for sprinting, he has gone on to compete at National level, taking part in the English schools (representing the West Midlands) three times and reaching the finals on each occasion. He has also ran in the national championships twice and the national indoors. The most recent national competition was held at Gateshead on the 11th and 12th July, where Thomas was only 0.02s away from a bronze medal with a tremendous 4th place in the under 17 mens 400m with a time of 49.43s.

When asked what his greatest achievement was so far, he said: “Winning the Indoor Nationals for 400metres and breaking a record for the Masons County Trophy with a time of 49.2s for 400metres.” Thomas is doing tremendously well and is currently ranked No.2 in the UK for under 17s. His success has no doubt been aided by the facilities at Tipton Harriers. He said: “I take part in the sessions or train alone up to five times a week. The coaching here is really good and the facilities are great, especially the track.” We asked Thomas what he enjoyed the most about athletics and what he had to say to recommend athletics to other young people in the area: “The great thing about athletics is the friends you make, and I think athletics is a great opportunity to improve on your skills, make sure you enjoy it and keep your head up. It’s not always about the winning.”

Another budding talent, Sadie Forrester-Hayles,13, has high hopes of a career in athletics. She first took an interest in Athletics during sports days at her School in West Bromwich, and has since been taking part in the sport for four years. Competing in the 100 and 200 metre sprints, Sadie has already reached national level, placing 5th in her heat of the Junior Girls 100m with a time of 13.04s in the recent English schools competition. She also came away with a gold medal in the sprint relay for West Midlands Schools. When asked what she enjoyed about taking part in athletics, Sadie replied: “Athletics is a lot of fun and it has allowed me to make a lot of new friends. It’s a great way to stay healthy.”

As for who to look out for in the Beijing Olympics, our athletes tipped us off to watch out for the big competition between Jamaican Sprinters Usain Bolt and Asafa Powell, and for our home grown medal hopefuls look our for hot competition between heptathlon rivals Kelly Sotherton and Jessica Ennis.


Sadie Forrester- Hayles

Age: 13 years
Personal Best: 12.7s (100m)
Role Model: Asafa Powell
Greatest achievement:
Doing well at West Midlands schools has allowed Sadie to compete for the Masons trophy and has been selected for the English Schools competition.

Thomas Hinton

Age: 16 years
National ranking: #2 (under 17s)
Personal Best: 48.48s (400m)
Role Model: Michael Johnson
Greatest achievement:
Competing in English Schools;
2006 - 400m final - 7th place
2007 - 400m final - 7th place
2008 - 400m final - 4th place
Won 400m at National indoors 2008
3rd 400m at National Outdoors 2008


TIPTON HARRIERS TRACK & FIELD COACHING
Weekly sessions for people aged 8 and over

Anyone wishing to get involved as an athlete, a volunteer coach or official, are welcome to come down to one of the training nights which are held on a Tuesday and Thursday evening from 6pm. Training sessions begin at approximately 6.15pm.

ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTIONS Members (both sexes) Under 20 at £40

If you want to try athletics then you can take part in a six-week taster session for approximately £2 per session before joining. This will involve expert coaching and use of the facilities for track and field events. Joining can help you improve your fitness, speed, endurance and technique as a hobby or for competition. For more information call and speak to the coaching team and find out which session is for you.

Tipton Sports Academy,
Wednesbury Oak Road, Tipton,
West Midlands DY4 0BS
Tel: 0121 502 5534