Team Camden’s Under-11s boys and girls runners

SPEEDSTERS Oliver Haddad and Julia Tomczak both took a place on the podium as Team Camden “achieved their goal” of securing a top-10 finish following their opening event at the London Youth Games.

A squad of 58 boys and girls donned their borough vests to take part in the Cross-Country Championships, held at Parliament Hill Fields on Saturday. Athletes competed across four age groups, the Under-11s, 13s, 15s, and 17s – finishing in sixth place overall in the girls event, and 12th in the boys.

Julia Tomczak, who bagged a bronze

Their results leave Camden seventh in the Jubilee Trophy standings out of the 33 London boroughs with 68 points. Among the stand-out performances were Conor Sayles and Remi Weinbrecht who finished in fourth and eighth place respectively to earn Camden the silver medal position in the boys Under-11s age group.

In the boys Under-15s race, Highgate Harrier Oliver Haddad put in Camden’s best individual display of the day as he scooped a silver medal after finishing the 3km race in 10mins, 18secs to take second spot out of a field of 187 runners.

Oliver Haddad, who scooped a silver

Another top performer was Westminster Kingsway College student Julia Tomczak, who bagged a bronze in the girls’ Under-17s event after completing the 3k race in 11mins, 34secs to finish third out of 111 runners.

Camden just missed out on a team medal in the Under-17s age group after finishing fourth, 11 points behind third-placed Hammersmith and Fulham. The championships proved a huge success for team manager Ben Dorsett from Camden Council Sport and Physical Activity Service.

Top Highgate Harriers coach Graham Norris, who supported Camden on the day, said: “We achieved our target of being in the top 10 after the first event, which stands us in good stead for when the London Youth Games action returns in 2017.”