The long and triple jumping squad from Braintree and District Athletic Club showed their prowess once again at the Essex and Eastern Athletics Championships at Lee Valley.

They picked up four gold medals, two silvers and three bronze.

The event is a dual competition which sees athletes competing against their fellow county athletes – making up the Essex AA – together with athletes from the Eastern Region counties of Suffolk, Norfolk, Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire – making up the Eastern AA.

In the men’s under-17 triple jump, Ryan Morgan won both the Essex and Eastern AA gold medal with a triple leap of 12.39 metres, while Charlie Shingleton claimed the under-20 men’s Essex and Eastern AA triple jump titles with a distance of 12.08m.

Their successes were followed with an Essex and Eastern AA silver medal for Clarice Parrott in the under-20 women’s long jump.

It was Parrott’s first competitive jump since 2013 after a year out from athletics and she leapt to a very creditable 5.34m, which was only 2cm short of her indoor personal best (PB) which she achieved in 2013.

The final bronze medals were won by Charlie’s twin brother, Richard Shingleton, who took third place in the under-20 men’s long jump for both Essex and the Eastern AA and finally, Kirsty Ronald, who was placed third in the Essex AA under-20 women’s triple jump.

Mention must also go to Melissa Gurteen, a first-year under-15 long jumper, who bettered her indoor PB with a distance of 4.09m.

Ronald also earned a place in the final of the under-20 women’s long jump and Lewis Thorn also made the final six of the under-20 men’s long jump.

This was the last of the major regional indoor athletic finals and gives a good insight how athletes are performing prior to the major outdoor season which starts in April.