The Isle of Wight are taking a team of 30 athletes to the Island Games in Guernsey – competing in a total of 42 events.
Our Island Athletics team will be hoping to improve on their 5th place in the medals table in Gibraltar in 2019, when we came behind the Isle of Man, Guernsey, Saaremaa and Jersey.
The last time we competed, our athletes picked up a total of 7 medals: 3 gold, 1 silver and 3 bronze.
All track and field events will be held at the Athletics Stadium at Footes Lane, apart from the half marathon, which will be run along the seafront at St Peter Port.
Here is a brief guide to how the Isle of Wight has performed in Island Games athletics events …
Track Sprint: 100 metres, 200 metres, 400 metres
The Isle of Wight had little success in these events in Gibraltar 2019, where we failed to get a podium placing. However, the Isle of Wight have done well in this event historically with Kelly Sotherton taking gold in the 100 metres at the Jersey Island Games of 1997 with a games record time of 12.02 seconds. She then repeated her gold winning performance for the 100m in 1999 at Gotland.
Track Middle: 800 metres, 1500 metres
Our athletics teams has done well in middle distance running in past Island Games, with the men’s team winning a total of 12 medals, including 5 golds. In Gibraltar 2019, Mabel Lewis came home with a bronze medal in the 1500 metres women’s event. Last time round, medal prospect Henry McLuckie just missed out on a podium place, coming 4th in the 1500 metres.
Track Long: 5000 metres, 10,000 metres, 3000 metre steeplechase
The athletics team will be hoping to build on their success in the long distance track events in Gibraltar when Daniel Eckersley picked up gold in the 3,000 metre steeplechase and bronze in the 1500 metres.
Track hurdles: 100 metre hurdles (women), 110 metre hurdles (men), 400 metre hurdles
This is another event in which the Isle of Wight has excelled with James Forman coming home with gold from Gibraltar in 2019. Kelly Sotherton won the 100 metres hurdles in the women’s event in Jersey in 1997 with a games record time of 14.39 seconds.
Track relay: 4 x 100 metre relay, 4 x 400 metre relay
The Isle of Wight women’s athletics team have struck gold on 4 occasions in the relays. In 1997, they achieved a double gold in the 4 X 100 and 4 X 400 events. The men’s best relay performance came at the Jersey Island Games in 1997 when they took silver in the 4 X 100 metres event.
Half marathon:
Isle of Wight women have an excellent record in this event winning silver in the Gibraltar Island Games in the team event in 2019 with Charlotte Metcalfe gaining an individual gold. The men won an individual half marathon gold in Aland back in 1991.
Field jump: long jump, triple jump, high jump
The Isle of Wight has won the women’s high jump on 4 occasions: 1985, 1987, 1997 and 2001. We won the women’s long jump in 1997, 1999 and 2007. Kelly Sotherton has been our most successful competitor in the jump events, taking gold at Jersey in both the high and long jumps and at Gotland in the long jump. The games record for the long jump is held by Kim Murray (5.95 metres) when she achieved her gold medal at Rhodes in 2007.
We have also struck gold in the men’s long jump (1989) and triple jump (2005, 2007) with Mathew Barton being our last male gold medallist in the jump events.
Field throw: hammer throw, javelin throw, shot put
The throwing events are an Isle of Wight speciality, with the Isle of Wight men’s team having taken a total of 10 gold medals at the Island Games – the most of any island competing. The men’s team have struck gold in the following throwing events: discus (1985), javelin (1993), hammer (2003, 2005, 2007, 2011 and 2015). Isle of Wight athlete Andy Frost is the games record holder in the hammer with a throw of 70.61 metres at the 2011 Island games.
The women’s team have brought home gold medals in the following years: discus (1985), javelin (1993), hammer (1999, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2011 and 2015). Bridget Fryer won a bronze medal for the Isle of Wight in the discus the last time the games were held in Gibraltar in 1999.
The Isle of Wight’s best-known athlete – Scottish discus record holder Nick Percy – will be competing in Guernsey. Nick was born in Edinburgh but was educated at Ryde School and currently lives in Bonchurch.
The following athletes will be representing the Isle of Wight at the 2023 Island Games in Guernsey.
Gavin Bodrell, Tristan Cooper, Daniel Eckersley, Andy Frost, Henry McLuckie, Tom Newnham, Jacob Patey, Nick Percy, Simon Pilcher, Benjamin Taylor, Archie Pearson, Eden Canning, Wallis Canning, Jay Spooner, Helen Davis, Emily Fry, Jessica Heng, Naomi Holdsworth, Amy Kelland, Maisey Kent, Ellie Lovett, Charlie Metcalfe, Holly Newton, Holly Whitter, Chris Newnham, Will Newnham, Carly Scobe, Freya Taylor, Gerry Newton and Noah Patey
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Good luck everyone ! You have all trained so hard for this, you will smash it!