Unlock the Secrets of the 2023 Charles Stuart Open Meeting: Discover the Exciting New Proposals for a Spectacular Athletics Event!
A flurry of activity descended upon the track as the early athletes arrived for the annual Charles Stuart Open Meeting, honouring the memory of our beloved Chairman and coach. Athletes and spectators alike were eager to join in the festivities and were joined by Charles’ former athletes who had come to officiate the event. It was sure to be a memorable day!
The days events kicked off with the U11 Howler Throwers, all ready for their first competition. An excited bunch of boys and girls quickly took their positions, ready to start their event. Cheers erupted from the crowd as the first throws were made, with each athlete giving their all to make it the best round possible. The energy and enthusiasm of the crowd only grew as the competition unfolded, and each thrower gave their all in the pursuit of victory. The U11 Howler Throwers had made a strong showing, with many of them achieving personal bests. It was a great way to kick off the day, with everyone leaving with a sense of accomplishment and pride.
The highlight of the mornings athletics was the massive 66.04m first attempt Hammer Throw by Jessica Mayho of Birchfield Harriers/Sheffield Hallam University. In 2020 Jess became a double British champion when she successfully defended her title by winning the hammer throw event at the 2020 British Athletics Championships with a throw of 65.47 metres. In 2021 Jessica went second in the all-time British women’s hammer rankings with a UK-leading throw of 69.44m
At the track break, Steve Haye, coach at Middlesbrough AC (Mandale), was presented with a signed card and a gift from the club by Chairman Andy Ward, in recognition of his retirement from coaching and officiating as a track judge. Steve had many successful multi-event athletes, with his latest, Emma Sedgwick, also in attendance. Steve will be greatly missed by the club, but he has promised to be back for the 2024 Charles Stuart meeting. We look forward to seeing him then.
In the afternoon with intermittent showers of rain which didn’t halt the athletes enthusiasm, the sun eventually peaked out. The events were on again and the athletes eagerly awaited their chance to impress. With the crowd cheering them on, they set off to prove they were the best. It was a race to the finish and the anticipation was building. Who would come out on top?
In the Senior men’s 200m race, the atmosphere was electric as Rabah Yousif Bkheit took to the track! Representing Great Britain since 2015, Rabah has already achieved remarkable success, winning the British Championship in 2015 and silver medals in 2016, 2017 and 2018, as well as a bronze medal in 2019. His impressive track record also includes competing five times at the World Championships, with an impressive sixth place in the 2015 final, and a bronze medal in the Olympic 2012 4x400m relay. His personal best for the 400m is 44.54s, the audience was electrified with anticipation as Rabah charged towards the finish line with a time of 21.72sec!
Today’s competition saw athletes compete with genuine joy, pushing themselves to their limits and setting new personal bests. Everyone left with a wide smile, feeling uplifted and fired up to begin the season ahead. We can’t wait to see what these amazing athletes bring us next year!
We’d like to take a moment to recognize the incredible efforts of the Announcer, all the Track and Field officials, registration team, starters team, timekeepers, photographer, results team, and Photo finish operators, as well as the First Aid supplied by AED Medical, who answered the call and made today’s meeting possible! Without their dedication and enthusiasm, none of this would have been possible. Thank you all!
Finally we can’t wait to see you all again next year! With an exciting new proposal of Mixed Relays on the horizon, next year’s event is sure to be an even bigger blast than this year. Coaches and supporters, don’t miss out on all the fun!
Marino Rea Danilowicz, Meeting Manager
After a year of pandemic setbacks and challenges the postponing, cancelling or moving competitions, it was fantastic to see over 190 athletes and their supporters back again at Middlesbrough Sports Village, great to get back to normality, watching athletes competing and the hosting of this meeting.
Many thanks to all the people that made this meeting happen, from the registration team, refreshments, announcer and results team. The Starter who put the track timetable together and the Field Referee for putting the field timetable together. The time keepers, track officials and field officials, not forgetting the presentation team, also for the people who stepped in at the last minute. Lastly, for the team working in the background the day before setting up the field equipment, and turning up at 8.30am to get everything in place.
Without all these people it would not be possible to have had such a smooth running of this meeting, Charles Stuart would be so proud, of all the people he had known coming along and pitching in.
Middlesbrough AC (Mandale) looks forward to hosting this annual event in 2023.
A selection of photos from the meeting, are available in our club gallery here.