Sat 25 August 2018, Alexander Stadium, Birmingham British Masters Athletics Championships Caroline Warden, a member of Preston Harriers for over 30 years, set out to compete and better the bronze medal she achieved in 2017.
Masters Athletics is open to anyone over the age of 35. Athletes compete in 5-year age groups. Caroline was competing in the well-challenged W45 age group (women between 45 and 49). Caroline was facing some stiff competition, but despite this and a few injury niggles went out and gave the event her all.
After 5 rounds of jumping some decent and consistent distances, Caroline was tying with an athlete from Worcester with only one jump left to go. Caroline was to jump first and needed a big jump to secure the win. She gave her last jump everything and it paid off, clearing a Masters personal best of 4.72 metres. The other athletes in the competition tried to rally but couldn’t get close meaning that with her final jump, Caroline had secured the gold and the title of British champion.
She heads off to Malaga to represent Great Britain on the 6th of September to compete in the World Masters Championships with a new-found confidence as the reigning British champion. Masters athletes receive no funding from governing bodies and so Caroline is having to fund this on her own but said that, now that a World Championship final may be on the cards, it may just all be worth it.