BUCS Indoors

Shanice Harrison, Andre Wright & Melissa Courtney PHOTO: Chris Hepworth

The Brunel team was somewhat depleted by the withdrawal of several Sport Scholars due to illness and injury. Despite this, the women’s team finished third overall, while the men’s finished sixth. The medal haul included three gold, one silver and one bronze, which was supplemented by a host of personal best performances.

After the 60-metre final there was a sense of déjà vu in the air for Mathematics undergraduate André Wright, given that he had won the same medal – bronze, with exactly the same time – 6.81 secs at the 2012 Championships. However, on the final day of competition, the Sport Scholar shot past defending 200-metre champion Antonio Infantino (Uni. of London), to clinch his first individual BUCS gold with a Championship Best Performance of 21.18 secs. This effort shaved 11 hundredths of a second off the PB he had set just two weeks ago at the British Athletics European Trials. A devout Christian, Wright said afterwards “I am overwhelmed with joy for the opportunity that God has given me.”

Brunel coach Harry King guided Wright to his victory and it turned out to be a double celebration given that another of King’s charges, 19-year-old Shanice Harrison, blitzed the 200 metres (24.58 secs PB) to claim gold at her inaugural BUCS Championships. In poetic mood, King recounted the words of Rudyard Kipling: “For the strength of the pack is the wolf, and the strength of the wolf is the pack.” He was alluding to how the Brunel sprinters had pulled each other along in reaching the dizzy heights of national success. Harrison, who is reading for a degree in Sport Sciences, had started as a reserve for the 200 metres, but was called in at the eleventh hour after training partners Leah Moore and Elise Walker were forced to pull out. To add to her 200-metre success, the unflappable Harrison finished fourth in the final of the 60-metre dash where she achieved another PB of 7.74 secs. 

One of the most memorable feats of the weekend was Melissa Courtney’s emphatic victory in the 1500 metres in a fast time of 4:20.73 min. The Sport Scholar dedicated the victory to the memory of her grandfather who had sadly passed away just a few days before the Championships. Courtney’s coach Rodger Hughes said “I am over the moon with Millie’s performance ....she was so gutsy and gave it absolutely everything today.” Women’s captain and GB heptathlete Jo Rowland had another busy day at the office. She beat most of the specialist shot putters in securing a silver medal with a PB of 13.19 metres. Among other formidable efforts that spanned a number of events, the MSc Sport Sciences student came eighth in the long jump final (5.65 metres).

A Brunelian footnote came in the form of John Bird, who has been a work placement student in the School of Sport and Education during this academic year. Bird flew to an 800-metre silver medal (1:53.07 mins) in the blue and yellow plumage of Team Bath.

FULL RESULTS