Fast track to gold glory

The 14-year-old Worthing High pupil took the 100m junior crown at the All England Schools Championships at Exeter.

Angmering's Emma Perkins, in the intermediate high jump, and Brighton, Hove and Sussex Sixth Form College student Claire Smithson, in the senior discus, completed a golden hat-trick for Sussex as the county equalled their best haul of medals since the Sixties.

But pride of place goes to Bennett-Jackson who was racing in trainers on an uneven grass track at Littlehampton just six weeks ago.

Mark Sambrook, Head of PE at his school, said: "He didn't own a pair of spikes then. It's amazing how far he has come in such a short time. His mum bought him a pair of spikes to replace his battered trainers and six weeks later he's a national champion.

"I'd seen him show good technique and talent, but at Exeter he also showed temperament."

Amazingly, Bennett-Jackson only scraped into the final as eighth fastest.

Sambrook said: "Wade stumbled at the start of his heat and decided to go for a standing start in the final. He just showed the courage of his convictions and, although he had to play catch up, adopted the attitude that nobody was going to beat him.

"Wade's modest, but he is a natural talent, awesome and was accelerating at the finish."

Bennett-Jackson was delighted with his debut performance at the Championships.

He said: "It feels great to be a national champion. I was running in trainers six weeks ago, but now I'm going to take athletics more seriously. I might even get a coach. Worthing Harriers have been asking me to join them for ages now and I might do that.

"I was very nervous in the first race. I'm used to going out in front and slowing at the finish but I was caught on the line. I stumbled badly at the beginning of the second heat and just made it into the final as the last qualifier.

I was advised to relax in the final but my blood was pumping."

Wade won by just two one hundreths of a second from Nedum Onouha (Manchester) in 11.07sec, inside the Sussex record set 24 years ago by fellow Worthing athlete Mark Fabes but it was wind-assisted.

He said: "When the race was over I still didn't know the result as it was so close. Even when they read out my number I didn't realise because I'd forgotten what it was. It wasn't until the other guys who I'd beaten came over and congratulated me that I'd realised I'd won."

Bennett-Jackson, who idolises 400m superstar Michael Johnson, says he will have to make a decision between football and athletics.

The Worthing United striker said: "It's okay at the moment because it is in the summer, but if I take athletics more seriously then football will probably have to go."

He was roared on by Sambrook, his mum Dorinda and step father Mark.

Perkins won a mind game victory in the intermediate high jump with a leap of 1.74m.

The 15-year-old Angmering schoolgirl from Ferring, a member of Worthing Harriers, was a disappointing seventh in the junior competition last year with 1.55m.

She said: "I did badly last year. Psychologically I was so daunted. But this year I treated it as just a normal competition and concentrated on my own performance instead of worrying about how everybody else was doing.

"I was pleased with the height I cleared because it was only a centimetre below my best and the conditions were horrible, cold and windy."

It earned an England call-up for the Home Schools Intermediate International in Dublin on July 21.

Smithson made a successful swansong.

The 17-year-old county captain claimed a championship senior discus record with 52.97m.

Smithson, who has now won four gold medals and one silver since first competing, said: "I've represented Britain in world championships but winning in my final appearance at the All England is extra special because it was my last one.

"I felt chuffed to carry the county flag around the stadium before it started. It was a bit like the Olympics because they also played the national anthem. It was very emotional.

"I'm proud of my record and it could have been better but I missed one intermediate year because I broke my finger. I'm delighted I was able to finish in style."

Claire, who recently broke the British under-20 discus record with 54.81m, revealed how calm she was before competing.

She said: "Normally I get nervous, but I was so relaxed. I suppose it was because the nearest competitor to me could only throw 39 metres so I wasn't pushed. It is fantastic to get a Championship record.

"I enjoyed being captain and the team did brilliantly. I can't say it was down to my leadership. It was their own abilities. What was really pleasing was that several athletes making their debuts did well."

One of those was her Brighton and Hove clubmate Lucy Ramsay who claimed a bronze medal in the junior long jump with 5.61m, an effort only beaten by Nick Gilding among Sussex senior athletes this season.

The 14-year-old Varndean pupil surprised herself with a jump which improved her personal best by 20 centimetres.

She said: "I was nervous and had never qualified for the Sussex team before. I wasn't expecting a medal."

Other bronze medallists included Andrew Bennett (Lewes Tertiary) who clocked a personal best 53.97sec in the senior 400m hurdles .

Lianne George (Boundstone, Lancing) chopped a half-a-second off her best to finish third in 25.51sec.

Haywards Heath College's Samantha Redd, intermediate javelin champion, was third with 42.31m on her senior debut after starting favourite. She was troubled by an ankle problem and finished two metres behind the winner and four short of her best this season.

Sussex gained two silver medals through athletes who had hoped to go one better.

Carley Wenham (Ifield) and Charlotte Browning (Chichester High) had repelled all opposition this season despite only being in the first year of the junior group.

But Charlotte was squeezed into second place in the 1,500m by Leicester's Lynsey Jepson despite chopping four seconds off her previous best time with 4min.37.68sec, a remarkable run in the windy conditions and only one second outside the 30-year-old Sussex under-15s record.

In the 100m, Carley broke the Sussex record clocking 11.03sec, four one hundredths of a second behind Sinead Johnson (Shropshire). But the effort was wind-assisted.

Tim Conner (St Thomas A'Becket, Eastbourne) leapt to fifth place in the intermediate long jump.

Conner leaped a personal best 6.65m in the heats and 6.63m in the final.

Jenny Bliss (Blatchington Mill, Hove) was fifth in the intermediate 300m hurdles in 45.06sec. Setijan Osho (Cardinal Newman, Hove) was also fifth, in the junior 200m with a personal best 23.04sec.

Schoolmate Nimi Inieko, who disappointed last year with three no putts in the junior shot, occupied fifth spot with a best 11.36m.

Lee Emanuel (William Parker) had to clock a personal best 4min.03.40sec to reach the intermediate 1,500m final in which he was fifth.

Candace Schofield (Davison, Worthing) and Nick Harding (Ardingly) were fifth in the intermediate javelin and junior hammer respectively.

Craig Ivemy (Ringmer) chopped ten seconds off his previous best with 8min.51.52sec to reach the intermediate 3,000m final in which he was seventh.

Sussex with the county produced 23 finalists from just 34 athletes.