Shropshire pole vaulter Jake Watson celebrates gold
Shropshire pole vaulter Jake Watson is celebrating after winning gold at the British Universities’ Indoor Athletics Championships in Sheffield, writes Alex Seftel.
The 21-year-old of Telford Athletic Club, who was competing for Oxford University, said he “didn’t expect” to take the title, which he won with a personal best of 5.10 metres at the English Institute of Sport.
Watson managed a stellar clearance to beat Sheffield Hallam student George Heppinstall, who was the higher-ranked athlete going into the competition with a 5m15 lifetime best.
Two athletes remained in the latter stages of the contest, and Watson hauled himself over the bar to stake his claim for the top step of the podium.
Heppinstall – who failed twice at 5.10m – passed up to the next height of 5.20m in a bid to snatch gold. Carrying those misses meant he only had one attempt, so when he narrowly brought the bar down, Watson was confirmed as adding the university title to his England under-23 crown.
“It felt pretty good,” Watson said afterwards. “I certainly didn’t expect to get the win. But I suppose everything was lined up, I’ve been training hard over the winter. It’s a good sign for the future”.
