Southend's superb sporting all-rounder Adam Hickey produced arguably the greatest run yet of his young athletics career at Chelmsford's Melbourne Park Stadium on Saturday.
For the Southend High School for Boys pupil ran the first-ever sub four minutes 1,500 metres in the history of the Essex Schools' Track and Field Championships.
In the 72nd year of the event, Hickey, who runs for Southend AC, won the intermediate boys' 1,500 in a time of 3 mins. 59.6 secs to smash the 18-year record of Rob Denmark, who went on to achieve glory by competing with distinction in Olympic, World Championship and Commonwealth Games.
Denmark, then representing Castle Point and Rochford Schools set a mark of 4 mins. 01.8 secs in 1985 and few would bet against Hickey going on to emulate the feats of the Basildon AC man who has gone on to perform in such style around the world.
What made Hickey's performance all the more remarkable was the fact that, having only celebrated his 15th birthday last month, he'll still be able to compete at intermediate level at next year's Essex Schools event.
For now this latest run, in warm sunshine at Chelmsford, earns him a crack at the English Schools' title at Sheffield on July 11 and 12 where he'll be a strong candidate to add to his huge list of sporting honours.
Published Monday, June 16, 2003
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