JERSEY’S athletes starred against some of the UK’s best at the Manchester International, with their record-breaking 4x100m relay performance headlining a successful weekend.
Steven Mackay, Tyler Johnson, Jamie Oldham and Taylor Renouf held their own against high-calibre athletes, beating England in the relay event.
“Everyone is absolutely delighted with what we’ve achieved this weekend, it’s an unbelievable achievement. This just goes to show how unbelievable our team is, and this generation of athletes is one of, if not the best Jersey’s ever seen,” said Mackay.
Johnson added: “This event certainly delivered for us, our target was always the Island record and we achieved what we set out to do. It’s amazing that little Jersey is up against these huge nations in England and Scotland, we’re always punching above our weight and hold our own against talented opposition.”
Individual Men’s 100m
Before the Caesareans’ record breaking relay, Mackay, Oldham and Johnson competed in the Men’s 100m competition. Two finals took place, before overall standings were decided.
Mackay, Jersey’s 100m record holder, competed in the A final, with both Johnson and Oldham then competing in the second event.
Up against some of the best sprinters across the UK, Mackay stood his ground in the A final, sprinting well to claim third place with 10.67 seconds, narrowly edging ahead of Shaftesbury Barnet Harriers AC’s Krishawn Aiken by 0.2 seconds.
“As it’s getting late on in the season, I didn’t come out the blocks as usual, hampering my start. 10.67 is a great time, but the wind did affect the race, so know I could have done better, but that’s how it is and have to keep on pushing,” Mackay reflected.
Following that strong opening showing from Mackay, Johnson and Oldham then competed in the second final heat, delivering more success for Jersey.
After a blistering start, Oldham followed suit, showcasing his pace on the track to come third in his heat. With his impressive time of 10.60 seconds, Oldham also managed to secure the fastest individual 100m time of the day among Jersey’s athletes.
“I was absolutely buzzing with that run, getting a 10.6 is a great way to end the season. To be honest, all my focus was on the relay, but getting a solid individual time meant a lot, especially since this season hasn’t been my best,” said Oldham.
Johnson rounded out the Caesarean competitors, coming last in his heat with an 11.15 second time. That didn’t get his head down however, as Johnson said: “Even though I didn’t get the result I had hoped, I really enjoyed it as the race was good fun. All that aside, I was here for the relay record, so I put all my focus in getting loose and ready for that.
Those strong performances put Oldham and Mackay fifth and sixth overall respectively, with Johnson in eleventh, making for solid times at this late stage in the season.
4x100m relay
Then came the big one, as the much-anticipated 4x100m relay came round, with Jersey holding one clear objective above all; to smash the Island record.
Although fatigue has began to set in, with the season at its closing stages, motivation remained high, as the team “didn’t want to let the lads down”.
Renouf would be the one to come out the blocks, then handing it to Oldham on the straight, followed by Johnson, who would then hand off to anchor Mackay on the final straight.
Following a time trial earning him the team’s fourth spot, the newly-inducted Renouf seemed to seamlessly slot into the lineup, as he came out the blocks well to have a great start, putting the Caesareans in good stead for their record pursuit.
“I was actually quite impressed with my start, I felt good coming out the blocks. Stepping into the side, coming in place of Evan (Campbell) and Ted (Chamberlain) who are both incredible athletes, I was nervous, as I didn’t want to let anyone down, but it was great to wear the Jersey kit and compete with this great team,” said Renouf.
Mackay added: “I have to say, fair play to Taylor (Renouf). Up against guys who have been to Commonwealth Games, he really held his own and did well.”
As Oldham received the baton and charged down the straight, disaster struck for England, as a chaotic first changeover ended in heartbreak, as they dropped the baton, meaning they couldn’t finish the race.
“As soon as I heard the ding of the baton, I almost played it safe really, as I didn’t want the same fate. We kept on it though, got the baton round and secured the record, which everyone’s ecstatic with,” Oldham added.
The baton then came to Johnson, who blazed around the bend, before handing off to Mackay who crossed the finish line, with impressive splits sealing a new Island record being set, at an impressive 41.56 seconds. Scotland took the victory, putting an incredible performance together to clock in a 40.26 second time.
“Tyler is always quick on the bend, and I simply just did my job as the anchor to cross the line. Scotland put in an amazing time, on of the quickest in a long time, and we finished not far off them, it was unbelievable,” Mackay continued.
Even though the Island record was broken by 0.1 seconds, Jersey’s quartet showed no signs of resting on their laurels, still determined to pursue quicker times and more records.
“I know that this time will plummet, as our changeovers weren’t as clean as they have been. I’m confident in the lads, and I would be very, very surprised if this time wasn’t improved upon multiple times next season,” Johnson said.
What’s next?
They certainly closed out the season in devastating fashion, after was has been a massive year for Jersey athletics. This only builds anticipation for next season, as the Caesareans intend to only build on this momentous year.
Mackay’s season isn’t over yet, aiming to finish his season with a strong showing at the Stratford Speed GP, set to be held on Sunday 14 September.
“Next season is going to be massive, as we’re keen to build on this huge year. We have so much exciting talent coming through, with athletes like Zachary Saunders doing well, who’s been competing in New Zealand,” said Mackay.
With Commonwealth Games fast approaching, both Mackay and Oldham will be gunning for qualification, as they have shown it’s well on the cards following this big year. To further improve and bolster his qualification hopes, Oldham is set to travel out to Australia’s Gold Coast in January, training with some of the best.
