A SPRINTING dad and daughter from Bluntisham proved there’s no such thing as the generation gap – by clocking identical 100m times in the same race.

Athletics

A SPRINTING dad and daughter from Bluntisham proved there’s no such thing as the generation gap – by clocking identical 100m times in the same race.

Huntingdonshire AC runners Richard and Laurel Phelan went head-to-head for the first time at the Cambridgeshire Open Development Meet in St Ives on Saturday.

They crossed the line in a dead heat of 14.04secs, with 15-year-old Laurel given the nod over 48-year-old Richard by the judges.

“My first thought when I saw we had been drawn together was ‘Oh dear’,” said Laurel. “But I was quite determined to beat him, and I thought I probably had the edge.

“He had the lead almost until the line, but I just managed to catch him in time.”

Dad Richard said the race at the St Ives Outdoor Centre was just the latest in the racing rivalry with his daughter. After returning to athletics two years ago, he now coaches sprinters at Hunts AC and occasionally coaches his daughter.

“She’s been encouraging me to race from quite a young age, and I think we knew we would end up racing at some point.

“I suppose there’s an extra incentive for her to beat me, as everyone always loves to beat their coach, and even more so when the coach is their dad,” he said.

“I think the judges were probably right to give her the win.”

The two then went their separate ways to win 200m heats, although Richard gained revenge with a time 0.5sec quicker.

Hunts AC also picked up two medals in the men’s U17 Cambridgeshire County Mile Championships.

James Downing, 14, and Luke Scott, 15, displayed the talent and composure to compete with older athletes and collect silver and bronze respectively.

At the development meet, 14-year-old newcomer Sophie Walters won the 100m and 200m, while Hakeem Duckworth-Porter and Tom Johnson won the two strings of the 200m.

In the U11 Girls 150m, Towalla Nche improved the 150m club best by a huge 1.7secs.

At the National Junior League meet in Cambridge, Jonathan Edwards set a new Hunts AC record of 14.15m in the shot putt, and followed up with victories in the discus and hammer. The 17-year-old now holds the junior club records for all three throwing events.

Lily Seach consolidated her position as the club’s fastest female with a 100m personal best of 13.14secs. She followed it up with a PB of 26.53secs in the 200m, to finish second in the B string race, though wind assistance proved over the allowable limit.