ATHLETICS: Wragby's Gillespie wins Midlands titles with record throws
Wragby athlete Jim Gillespie competed in the Midlands Heavyweight Hammer Pentathlon and One-handed Hammer Championships at Derby on Sunday.
First up was the Pentathlon in which, as the name suggests, competitors throw five hammers, starting with a 10kg, then 12.5kg, 15.88kg, 19.05kg and finally a 25.4kg monster. All the distances are added together and the furthest wins. Jim’s total was 34.08 metres which was an Irish national record and enough to win the title.
Next up was the One-handed Hammer in which Jim also excelled, adding 1.5 metres to his personal best, throwing 15.21 metres to win the title and smash the Irish record of 14.55 metres.
Jim said: “This season just gets better and better. I’ve trained extremely hard this winter and I am now reaping the rewards. Take it from me, hard work pays off.”