Our congratulations go to the 11 Ballard pupils who proudly represented both the school and the ISA London West region at the ISA National Athletics Championships, held at the iconic Alexander Stadium in Birmingham on Monday. This world-class venue – renowned for hosting major international competitions, including the Commonwealth Games and performances from Olympic athletes such as Jessica Ennis-Hill – provided the perfect stage for our pupils to showcase their talent.
Having qualified through the regional round, all 11 Ballard athletes competed with determination and pride against fields of up to 13 competitors dependent on event. They rose to the occasion superbly and did both Ballard and the London West region immensely proud.
A standout performance came from Isaac Atkinson (Year 8), who stormed to victory in the Year 8 Boys’ 80m hurdles, winning in an outstanding time of 13.08 seconds to become National Champion. Sofia Roscoe (Year 8) also delivered an excellent performance, securing bronze in the Year 8 & 9 Girls’ discus with a throw of 21.47m; a new school record!
There were many other impressive results across both track and field. Sophie Cadbury (Year 7) set the tone early in the day, competing resiliently in the 1500m to finish 8th in a time of 5:46.78. Josh Wells (Year 6) finished a strong 5th in the 600m (1:50.86), while in the 800m events, Bodhi Pollard (Year 7) placed 9th (2:37.47) and Ivy Legg (Year 7) finished 8th (2:47.33). Our relay teams also performed brilliantly. The Year 7 Girls’ 4x100m team (Olivia McCarthy, Sophie Cadbury, Rosa Ashley, Ivy Legg) secured 6th place in 59.16 seconds, while the Year 7 Boys’ 4x100m team (Theo Bulkeley, Cian McCarthy, Will Chapman, Bodhi Pollard) rounded off the day with a fantastic 6th place finish in 57.77 seconds.
Overall, the ISA London West team were crowned National Champions, finishing top among all regions – a tremendous achievement, with our Ballard pupils making a valuable and proud contribution to this success. Well done to all involved on an exceptional day of athletics at a truly inspiring venue.
