RGS athletes enjoy a golden summer with national honours and a huge haul of medals

RGS athletes enjoy a golden summer with national honours and a huge haul of medals

A REMARKABLE summer of athletics has culminated in four Ripon Grammar School students being selected to represent North Yorkshire at one of the country’s most prestigious national championships.

This follows a season of impressive achievements on track and field which saw our athletics stars amass an impressive collection of county titles and championship medals.

Pip Robinson, Holly Nash and Beth Takieddine will all compete at the English Schools’ Track and Field Championships in Birmingham on July 10 and 11, after outstanding performances throughout the season.

Fellow athlete Simon Bordewich was also selected for the North Yorkshire squad but has sadly been forced to withdraw through injury.

The quartet are among just 40 athletes chosen to represent the county, with selection based on exceptional displays at both the North Yorkshire Schools Championships and the Inter-Counties Championships.

Their achievements, alongside fellow RGS athlete Ollie Deavin, have helped cap a hugely successful summer for the school’s track and field programme.

At the North Yorkshire Schools Championships in York, RGS athletes dominated the competition, returning home with an extraordinary five county titles.

Holly Nash was crowned county champion in the 400m hurdles, Simon Bordewich stormed to victory in the 400m, Beth Takieddine completed a sprint double by winning both the 100m and 200m titles, Ollie Deavin claimed the 3,000m crown and boarding student Pip Robinson won the pole vault title while equalling the championship record.

The momentum continued at the Inter-Counties Championships in Middlesbrough, where the RGS contingent played a major role in helping North Yorkshire finish runners-up behind Northumberland Schools.

Pip won the junior girls’ pole vault competition, Holly finished fourth in the senior girls’ 400m hurdles, Beth earned two bronze medals in the intermediate girls’ 100m and 200m and Ollie secured second place in the senior boys’ 3,000m. Simon was unable to compete because of injury.

RGS director of sport Adam Milner said it was a tremendous achievement to have four athletes, ten per cent of the total chosen, represent their county at the nationals: "Every one of these athletes has performed brilliantly, not only at county level but also against some of the strongest competition in the region. Their success is even more impressive given the variety of disciplines they compete in, from sprinting and hurdles to pole vault and middle distance running.

"These students are fantastic ambassadors for RGS. They balance demanding training schedules with their studies and consistently demonstrate determination, humility and a desire to keep improving.

"We look forward to cheering them on at English Schools and seeing what they achieve next."

For 16-year-old Holly, from Ripon, the achievements represent years of hard work and a sporting journey that has evolved dramatically since she arrived at RGS.

“I started athletics in Year 7 as a cross-country and long-distance runner,” she said. “Then in Year 9 I moved to City of York Athletics Club and started to take hurdles and combined events seriously.”

Holly has embraced every sporting opportunity available at school, particularly enjoying cricket, football and hockey, while also pursuing her passion for showjumping.

At the Inter-Counties Championships, she faced an unusual challenge.

“I was made to run in my own heat, despite there being three other competitors. It was very hard running on my own because it’s difficult to judge your pace and you have nobody to push you.

“My biggest challenge will be racing people older than me, as I’m running against the year above, and the final 100m of the 400m hurdles is always tough, when you’re experiencing fatigue and tired muscles and still needing to clear hurdles.”

Looking ahead, Holly has ambitious goals.

“I would love to medal at English Schools and aim to qualify to represent England in the next few years. They are big dreams but not out of reach.”

Fourteen-year-old Pip Robinson’s rise has been particularly remarkable.

Having only taken up pole vault two years ago and gaining access to regular training at 13, the Harrogate Harriers athlete has rapidly established herself among the country’s leading young competitors.

After clearing 2.80m at the North East Youth Development League in Shildon – exceeding the 2.70m qualification mark required for English Schools – she climbed to joint seventh in the UK rankings for her age group.

The achievement represents a huge leap forward, having never previously cleared more than 2.60m.

Away from athletics, Pip also dances weekly, plays for the RGS girls’ football team and competes in high jump and hammer throw.

Beth Takieddine has also enjoyed an exceptional campaign, establishing herself as one of North Yorkshire’s leading sprinters after becoming a double county champion and following it up with two Inter-Counties bronze medals.

Meanwhile, Simon Bordewich had already built an outstanding reputation before his latest injury setback.

The 16-year-old from Burton Leonard is a two-time national champion, having previously won the English Schools 300m title and earlier this year claimed his second national title at the England Athletics Indoor National Championships.

Despite a collision during the under-17 400m final, Simon still dominated the race to become national champion.

He first discovered his love of running through Ripon’s parkrun at Fountains Abbey and now trains three times a week at Leeds Beckett University while balancing athletics with rugby commitments for school and Ripon Rugby Club.

His long-term ambition is clear: “I hope to be selected to run for England at international championships,” he said.

Although not selected for English Schools, Ollie Deavin has also enjoyed a breakthrough season.

The 17-year-old from Knaresborough, who took up middle-distance running just two years ago, claimed county gold and Inter-Counties silver in the 3,000m.

A member of Harrogate Harriers, Ollie has lofty ambitions.

“I want to take this sport as far as my limits will allow and ultimately want a Great Britain vest and to run professionally, even for a short time,” he said.

He hopes to study mechanical engineering at Loughborough University while continuing his athletics career and would also love to compete in the American collegiate NCAA system.

Reflecting on his first experience of representing North Yorkshire, he said: “The competition was difficult because it was my first time racing for North Yorkshire. I could tell the people around me had more experience in these bigger races where position matters more than times.

“I was initially disappointed with my result, but it was a great experience.”

With three athletes now preparing to compete at English Schools and another selected before injury intervened, the future looks exceptionally bright for RGS athletics.

Their achievements represent not only a huge haul of medals and titles, but also a testament to the dedication, resilience and ambition that continues to drive sporting excellence at RGS.