Kettering Town Harrier Emily Williams produced a brilliant performance to become the ISF World Schools 800m Champion and was instrumental in helping the England Girls Selected team storm to victory at the ISF World School Cup to claim the Team Gold and retain their status as World Champions, a title they also won in 2017 in France. The competition held over 2 days in Split, Croatia saw the English Schools Athletic Association secure victory in the selected Girls team and finish runners up in the selected Boys team.
Emily Williams ISF 800m World Schools Champion
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Emily also had the great privilege of being nominated the Captain of the Girls team, a role she was delighted to be asked to fulfil, and one she performed with great dignity over the 7 day event which apart from the two days of competition included a formal opening & closing ceremony, cultural day, intercultural festival and an awards ceremony. The event attracted over 500 athletes/ 86 teams from 29 countries as far apart as Australia/ Brazil & China
The team format is unique in athletics with a 6 strong team selected to cover the main events (Sprints, throws, jumps & Middle Distance and a medley relay) with athletes doubling up to secure the highest points total, the winner is the team with the highest number of points. England’s Girls team secured a points total of 853 to defeat the second place team, France who finished with 817 points.
England's Victorious Girls team along with the Boys team who were runners up.
Williams won her individual 800m race to become the ISF World Schools 800m Champion in style. leading from the gun she set a fierce pace over the opening 400m with China’s Wan Fang & France’s Clara Pavlovic in hot pursuit, Williams continued to drive the pace on the back straight and the competition were unable to hang on to her as she pulled away to win comfortably by over 3 seconds in 2:08.86 to secure 90 points for the Girls team, one of the highest points contributions from all the events. Williams dubbed “Captain Fantastic” by the ESAA team Managers lead by example in her selected event.
Emily Williams leading the 800m with China’s Wan Fang in pursuit
Day 2 saw Williams selected to run the 400m anchor leg of the medley relay (100m, 200m, 300m & 400m), an event she was happy to run, and ideally suited to her 800m endurance background. The scene was set with England leading the French by a small margin in the team competition, and with the medley relay the deciding and final event of the 2 day competition. The England team consisted of Jenna Blundell (100m), Abigail Pawlett (200m), Jasmine Jolly (300m) & Emily Williams (400m & anchor leg) and they needed to beat the French to guarantee the team Gold. After the first two legs England & France were neck and neck with a strong Brazilian team, not in contention for the team Gold, and Jasmine Jolly ran a terrific leg to claw back a 3-4m gap which had opened up behind the French. Williams was handed the baton and settled in just behind the French, who soon opened up a 5m gap chasing down the Brazilian team who had taken the lead with the individual 400m winner. Williams didn’t panic knowing her strength would come through in the latter stages, but also conscious she needed to beat the French to guarantee the team victory. Williams ensured she had plenty in the tank for the final 100m, and she attacked hard on the home straight and reeled in the French athlete with a brilliantly paced race to surge ahead and take the team Gold by 3m, with a hugely impressive individual split of 56.7 seconds nearly 2 seconds quicker than her 400m PB.
Englan's Emily Williams passing the French team to secure the Girls Team Gold Medal.
Emily who secured her 7th International vest during the competition was delighted with her contribution over the 2 days of competition and she was also thrilled to be voted Girls team captain. Her Club coach, Shane Smith was similarly delighted with his protégée “Emily has once again performed brilliantly when asked to represent her country at a World Championships, producing a top quality time to win the 800m & then run a huge 400m PB to storm past the main competition in the anchor leg of the medley relay. I am very proud of her achievements, and especially that she was chosen to be the Girls team captain”.
Action from the final showdown between the English & French teams in the medley relay
The plan now after a few days rest is to concentrate of acheiving a European U20 qualification time for the U20 Championships being held in Sweden in July, either for the 1500m or 800m.
Congratulations to Emily on her on-going success in an International vest