Banbridge Academy’s athletes had another fine competition at the Ulster Schools Athletics Championships held at in Antrim over two days. The star performance of the championships came from U6 pupil Rebekah Nixon. On the Friday evening Rebekah ran brilliantly in her senior girls 3000m race and despite pressure at the end finished strongly to win the Gold. Rebekah followed this up on the Saturday with another excellent run in the 1500m to once again claim gold. A unique and very difficult distance double gold made all the better by setting two new school records to boot. 

Also on Friday evening Patrick McNiff ran a great race and got into the lead break away and secured third place and the bronze medal. On Saturday, the main full day of competition, in the mini girls’ high jump Nadia Radcliffe also jumped very well to claim a bronze medal. Nadia also ran strongly on the 800m and finished in 9th place.

In the other events Bethany Nixon followed in her sister Rebekah’s footsteps when in the junior girls 1500m race she ran superbly to finish in fourth place just outside of the medals. In the Inter girls 100M Elizabeth Little also finished 4th.  Lizzie is a year young for her category and will compete again next year. Lizzie also jumped in the long jump and she performed well to finished in 5th place. Robbie Mathers in the Inter boys’ discus threw well to claim 5th place. Marcus McNeill ran strongly in the minor boys 800m and he too finished in 5th place. In the junior girls 200m Suzy Neill ran very well in a competitive race to finish in 5th place and in the junior girls 100m Molly Mathers placed 7^th. The final event of the day for the Academy was the junior girls relay and here the girls had a good run to claim 6th place and round off a really good Ulster Championships for the Academy’s athletes.

So congratulations to all the athletes who competed so well particularly to Rebekah Nixon and Patrick McNiff who will now represent the Academy at the Irish schools Championships in Tullamore in County Offaly in a fortnights time.