The University of Sheffield displayed fantastic ability across the board and emerged victorious in the Athletics Varsity. The black and gold team won the event last year and proved their consistency with another impressive show at the SHU City Athletics Stadium.
Track events
100m (Women)
The race began with Uni of athletes putting up a good start to lead the race in the first two positions. The battle for third place was an intense one between Hallam and Uni of athletes, with Hallam finally coming on top. The 100m proved to be a clean win for Uni of’s 547 with her teammate 557 following her in second place. Hallam’s 603 took the third position after a thrilling battle.
200m (Women)
As the athletes made their way to the starting line for the women’s 200m, the cold air filled up with anticipation. The Uni of athletes were determined for a clean win, which was evident with them maintaining the first three places in the race. Keeping their pace consistent throughout the race, Uni of did indeed sweep the podium with 542 securing first place, followed by 567 in second place, and 562 claiming the third place.
400m (Women)
The 400m (women) saw only two athletes at the starting line, both representing Uni of. With no Hallam students competing for this category, Uni of’s 557 set up a comfortable lead with Uni of’s 531 following her. The race ended with 557 clinching the first position while 531 took home the second position.
400m (Men)
A false start at the beginning foreshadowed an interesting race for the men’s 400m event. Uni of started off strong by being race leaders, however, the Hallam’s 611 soon breezed past Uni of to take the lead around the 200m mark. Hallam continued to lead the race until the very end with Uni of’s 574 and 519 following him in second and third places respectively. Hallam’s 611 sealed the deal with a win and a thrilling overtake by 519 at the very end of the race secured him his second position with 574 taking home a very close third place.
800m
With a slight delay, the 800m event scheduled for 5:40pm finally started at 5:47pm. The race started with Uni of athletes leading in the first three positions, however, Hallam made a quick recovery by making a thrilling overtake against Uni of for the second place by the ending of the first 400m of the race. Uni maintained a steady 1st and 3rd position, while Hallam kept up with second place. Uni of’s number 559 secured first position with a time of 1:58:32, followed by Hallam in second place and Uni of, again, for third place.
Field events
The University of Sheffield field participants won with the score of 29-19 from the men and the women from Uni of followed in their footsteps and defeated Hallam 26-13. The talent from Uni of translated on the track events as the men reached victory with a score of 35-18 and the women with a total of 47 to Hallam’s 13.
An evening that had a range of running distances and jumping techniques also came with support where spectators were cheering on the university they represented. The sun was shining and so were the athletes of Sheffield.
The opening long-distance event of the night was the 3000m where the women took to the track first. The full pack stayed together and kept that momentum early on. The first 400m caused no problems and the dedicated athletes were yet to break a sweat.
The gaps grew when the 800m mark approached and the strong contender Rachel Neelan was leading. The cheers of those in the crowd wearing face paint of their university colours added to the motivation the runners needed to carry on. Neelan remained composed through the last laps and managed her pace brilliantly, resulting in her coming first in the event.
The men were up next for the 3000m, and it began with five of the competitors keeping close together as they tactically controlled their pace. A mixture of Hallam and Uni of athletes were neck and neck.
Two UoS students were not worried about the Hallam competition as they battled one another for first place in a tight couple of laps on track. Despite the shared black and gold colours on their shirts, the chance for first between both created an entertaining race.
The two soon became three as a Hallam athlete was involved and they all grabbed a podium finish after an intense match up of talent. Sportsmanship was evident as the Hallam and Uni of students shook hands and appreciated an eventful race.
The 1500m, also known as the metric mile, welcomed the women first as they prepared for three whole laps and three quarters to finish off the race. Hallam held the lead at the beginning and the gap only increased, which showcased the ability of the Hallam athlete who wore the number 601.
Uni of had two women side by side for second and third position but it was Hallam who proved their worth in the race this time. As those present at the event clapped and proudly shouted the names of their friends, the athletes gathered to share a moment of respect.
The men were on their marks next in the 1500m, and Hallam’s Justin took a strong start. The pack in this race stayed the closest together out of all the track events during the evening. The sun was beginning to set slowly yet the atmosphere became even more alive at the Athletics Stadium.
The strides from Hallam were strong but with 200m to go, a UoS athlete displayed a beautiful overtake and the excitement and tension from the crowd was caused to rise. Hallam held on for so long, but UoS snatched the victory in the dying minutes.
As the clouds shifted, so did the focus on the next event which was the Sprint Hurdles. The women wanted to have a leg up with points gained in the Varsity battle as two UoS students participated in this race. 541 for Uni of had excellent technique with her trail leg following through after her strong lead leg gave her an impressive lift off the ground.
The victory for University of Sheffield wrapped up a fantastic night of togetherness and enjoyment. The action of Varsity doesn’t stop there as next week begins with swimming and korfball as more points are up for grabs.
Featured Image Credit: Charlotte Quarmby