Ryan O won gold in the U18 200m at the England Athletics Age Group Championships at Bedford International Athletic Stadium on 25 and 26 July, heading the podium in a championship that was, for the first time, run under the new U16 and U18 age group structure introduced by England Athletics from April 2026.
The new age groups — replacing the previous U15 and U17 system — were designed to align competition with non-exam years and support athlete retention through the teenage years. The 2026 Age Group Championships were the first national championship to run entirely under the new categories, making every medal from the weekend a first of its kind at this level.
Ryan had set the scene on day one. Racing in the 100m across semi-final and final, he clocked 10.77w in both rounds and finished fifth — just 0.04 seconds off the podium. The day two return was decisive: running 21.20w with a +3.6 wind in the 200m, he won the U18 title! Wind-assisted marks don't count for personal best purposes, but a championship gold medal does not come with an asterisk — he raced, he won, and we are all very proud of him and this massive achievement - well done Ryan!!
Giles H delivered a strong throws weekend across three events. He threw 51.05m in the javelin, 15.71m in the shot put, and 45.90m in the discus — the last of those a personal best. Giles's javelin PB of 55.70m, set earlier in the season, establishes him as one of the leading junior javelin throwers in the country, and a discus PB at the same championships reflects continued development across multiple events.
Photo — Full results for Momentum Track Club and Momentum Sports athletes at the 2026 England Athletics Age Group Championships, Bedford — including U18 200m gold for Ryan O and a discus PB for Giles H.
Aurelia A raced in the U16 100m on day one, clocking 12.35w, before returning on day two for the 80m hurdles final, running 11.77w. Making the final of an event at the England Athletics Age Group Championships is a result in itself. Emma K ran 12.38w in the U16 100m on day one.
From Momentum Sports, competing for their respective clubs, Joe T ran 15.02w in the U18 110m hurdles and Izzy R ran 14.03w in the U18 100m hurdles. Both have had prominent summers in hurdles competition: Izzy won gold at the English Schools Track and Field Championships in Birmingham a fortnight ago and Joe ran at the English Schools Championships as well. Their performances at Bedford continued a summer of consistent championship hurdles racing.
A gold medal, a discus personal best, two hurdles finalists and a U16 sprinter making the 80m hurdles final — seven athletes across two age groups and four event disciplines produced results that reflect the direction of travel across the club.
Results:
U16 Aurelia A — 100m — 12.35w / 80m Hurdles — 11.77w
U16 Emma K — 100m — 12.38w
U16 Giles H — Shot Put — 15.71m / Discus — 45.90m PB / Javelin — 51.05m
U18 Ryan O — 100m — 10.77w / 200m — 21.20w (Gold!)
U18 Joe T — 110m Hurdles — 15.02w
U18 Izzy R — 100m Hurdles — 14.03w