IAPS National Athletics Finals 2026

Competing at the venue that hosted the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games and will stage the European Athletics Championships later this summer made for a truly unforgettable experience and provided memories that will last a lifetime.

 

 

The day began in spectacular style as Jai V stormed through his U14 80m Hurdles heat in an astonishing 11.72 seconds, setting a new national record and qualifying fastest for the final.

 

Fellow hurdler Monty Y also impressed, clocking 13.81 seconds.

 

Barely pausing for breath after the hurdles’ heats, Jai headed straight to the long jump, where a superb leap of 4.98m secured a brilliant silver medal.

 

However, the highlight was still to come. Entering the hurdles final as the record holder and favourite, Jai thrived under the pressure. Exploding from the blocks, he dominated the race from start to finish, crossing the line in 11.74 seconds to become National Champion. His jubilant celebration as he crossed the finish line was one of the defining moments of the day.

 

Elsewhere in the field events, Finn H stepped in as a reserve for the discus and produced a fantastic performance, throwing 17.89m to finish tenth nationally.

 

Krish P narrowly missed out on qualification from a highly competitive hurdles heat.

 

Seb Y, competing against athletes a year older than himself, showed enormous promise with a strong run in the hurdles and will undoubtedly target the podium next season.

 

In the throwing events, Oli A delivered one of the performances of the day, recording a tremendous 10.43m in the shot put to secure an impressive fourth-place finish in the country.

 

Otto G also competed superbly in the javelin, throwing 21.56m to finish eleventh nationally. Later in the day, Peter A produced a personal best of 8.12m in the shot put. Agonisingly close to the medals, Peter finished fourth, just four centimetres away from bronze.

 

One of the most dramatic races came in the U13 1500m. Lucas Y ran courageously at the front for much of the race and led into the final straight. In a heartbreaking finish, he was caught only in the final strides, earning a magnificent silver medal and a new personal best of 4 minutes 45 seconds.

 

Anaadh T also produced an excellent run, finishing sixteenth in a highly competitive field.

 

Expectations were high in the High Jump, where Hari V arrived in excellent form following his recent selection for the English Schools Championships. Hari did not disappoint, clearing 1.60m to claim a superb bronze medal.

 

Meanwhile, Noah C performed strongly in the discus, throwing 15.84m to place tenth overall.

 

It was also a remarkable day for Ben T, who produced outstanding performances in both sprint events. Ben qualified for the 100m final after running 11.96 seconds in his heat before battling through an exceptionally close final, where just nine hundredths of a second separated the top three athletes. His time of 11.98 seconds earned a deserved bronze medal.

 

He then repeated the feat in the 200m, claiming another bronze medal in 24.75 seconds. Impressively, no other athlete in his age group achieved podium finishes in both sprint events.

 

Perhaps the most dominant performance of the championships came from Roman W. In the U13 javelin, Roman unleashed a huge throw of 35.65m, winning the event by nearly four metres and setting a new national record.

 

He followed this with another outstanding display in the Shot Put, throwing 10.35m to secure bronze against exceptionally strong opposition. As Roman stepped onto the podium, the stadium commentator described him as “surely a decathlete of the future” – high praise indeed.

 

Middle distance runner Rory T demonstrated tremendous resilience in the demanding 800m, clocking 2 minutes 28 seconds to finish sixth in the nation.

 

The U14 boys' relay team also showed tremendous promise, running a time of 48.69 seconds that would have secured second place heading into the final. Unfortunately, following a lengthy review, the team were disqualified on a technical infringement. Although disappointed, the boys can take immense pride in a superb performance against the best schools in the country.

 

The finals were a fitting culmination to an outstanding athletics season, showcasing talent, determination and resilience at the highest level of prep school sport. Bromsgrove Prep athletes returned home with seven national medals, two national titles and two national records, confirming their place amongst the very best young athletes in the country.

 

 

Jai V – U14 80m Hurdles (National Champion & National Record)

Roman W – U13 Javelin (National Champion & National Record)

 

Jai V – U14 Long Jump

Lucas Y – U13 1500m

 

Hari V – U14 High Jump

Ben T – U14 100m

Ben T – U14 200m

Roman W – U13 Shot Put

 

 

Girls' achievements:

The girls also produced a series of excellent performances against the strongest young athletes in the country, with several athletes earning top fifteen national finishes and two returning home with national medals.

 

Harper C enjoyed a superb championships, finishing 14th nationally in the U13 600m in an impressive 1:55.64 (equalling her personal best time), before producing an outstanding performance in the long jump, where her leap secured a place on the podium and the title of National Prep Schools bronze medallist.

 

Chloe H also stepped onto the podium in the javelin, producing an excellent throw of 23.59m to claim the silver medal and become another national medallist.

 

In the field events, Annie N threw 8.66m in the shot put to finish eighth nationally, whilst Ottilie N placed 15th in the discus with a best effort of 13.45m.

 

Issy H also competed strongly in the shot put, finishing 14th with 5.97m. Maisie B cleared 1.10m in the high jump to finish 14th nationally.

 

The girls were equally determined on the track. Phoebe L produced a courageous run in the 800m, crossing the line in 2:36.46 mins to finish 12th in the country.

 

The relay squads also represented Bromsgrove Prep with distinction. The U13 girls’ relay team competed strongly in their heat, while the Year 8 relay team exceeded expectations by qualifying for the final as the eighth-fastest team before producing a superb run to finish fifth in the country.

 

Recap of the girls' medals:

 

Chloe H - Javelin

 

Harper C - Long Jump

 

 

The finals were a fitting culmination to an outstanding athletics season, showcasing talent, determination and resilience at the highest level of prep school sport. Bromsgrove Prep athletes returned home with nine national medals, two national titles and two national records, confirming their place amongst the very best young athletes in the country.