Croydon's young champions

3:19pm Friday 18th July 2008

Four Croydon athletes won gold medals at the 78th English Schools Athletics Championships in Gateshead last weekend.

Khalil Njoyr, 14, who attends Archbishop Lafranc School, won the U15 discus (44.8m) even though he has only just taken up the discipline.

"I would have said up until now that the shot was my favourite, but I'm improving all the time at discus and this win is really encouraging," he said.

East Croydon's Anthony Oshodi, who attends Wanstead High School, won the U17 shot (18.66m).

"Last year I won the discus but, because I trained in both events all the time, I decided to try out the shot this year," he said.

"It is difficult to decide which one to major on as I enjoy them both."

Crystal Palace's Paul Oluyemi, 18, a student at Richmond College, won the U19 (Senior Boys) long jump with 7.02m "I only needed that jump and that is why I didn't bother after that."

Trinity School's Andrew Jorclaimed the intermediate discus title with an outstanding throw of 65.28m.

Middle distance runner Jordan Maurice tackled the three rounds of the junior 800m with great maturity and took a fine second place (2.01.28).

Whitgift intermediate discus thrower Lawrence Okoye shot from eighth to second when his final throw of the competition sailed to 48.26m.

A more predictable silver came Croydon's way thanks to Selhurst student Tunde Amnosu, who cleared 14.78m ahead of fifth-placed fellow Croydon Harrier Nan Owusu, an Etonian competing for Berkshire, who cleared 14.02m.

Archbishop Tenison sprinter Twinelle Hopeson was a close fourth in the intermediate girls' 200m (2.97seconds).

Elliott Safo, of Trinity, earned a good junior long jump fifth, missing the magic 6m mark by a centimetre.

Whitgift's Ned Quiney, although slightly below par, managed to clear 4.10m and finish fifth in the intermediate pole vault, while Matthew Walcott was sixth in the 100m hurdles.

Trinity senior Ryszard Buk, overcame an injury and the accompanying wet and windy weather on day one, to clear 4.30m for sixth in the pole vault.

Odette Campbell did well to reach the senior girls' 400m in 57.25 seconds, but couldn't produce a repeat in the final, finishing eighth.

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