8th November 2018

OGBECHIE MAKES SPORTSAID ONE-TO-WATCH AWARD FINAL THREE

Dominic Ogbechie (coach: Marius Guei / Carol Jackson; club: Highgate Harriers) has made the final shortlist for SportsAid’s One-to-Watch Award.

The 16-year-old has had a year to remember after becoming the European U18 high jump champion and breaking the age-15 high jump world record.

He also ends 2018 with two indoor world U18 leading marks to his name, secured within two days of each other, in the high jump and long jump respectively.

Ogbechie kicked off his season by setting a new personal best of 2.12m, a mark he eclipsed the following month when he climbed to an incredible 2.22m indoors at the England Athletics U17 Championships in Sheffield, breaking the age-15 world record, which had stood since 2012.

He followed that feat up the following day by claiming the British Under-17 record and world U18 indoor lead in the long jump. His distance of 7.53m put over 30cm onto his previous legal best and rounded off a great weekend for the Highgate man, which saw him leave the Steel City with two world leading marks.

A third-place finish at Loughborough International followed, before his chance to shine on the international stage came at the European U18 Championships.

The Londoner safely qualified for the final with a best height of 2.04m and went on to equal his outdoor personal best of 2.16m, taking gold by three centimetres from his nearest competitor.

His season ended on a high in his final weekend of outdoor competition as he added a further two centimetres onto his outdoor high jump PB, reaching 2.18m in Bedford at the England Athletics U17 Championships in August.

The following day, he recorded his furthest legal outdoor long jump effort of 7.30m (no wind), eclipsing the 7.22m he set in 2017, to cap a stellar year for the Highgate athlete.

Ogbechie was joined on the original 10-person shortlist by IAAF World U20 Championship 100m and 4x100m bronze medallist, Kristal Awuah (Matthew Thomas; Herne Hill) and World Para Athletics European T33 100m gold medallist, Harri Jenkins (DSW Para Academy).

The Londoner will hope to follow in the footsteps of previous winners Morgan Lake (Fuzz Caan; Windsor Slough Eton & Hounslow), Jodie Williams (Stuart McMillan; Herts Phoenix) and Hollie Arnold (David Turner; Blackheath & Bromley) by claiming the award. The winner will be announced at the charity’s SportsBall on Thursday, 15 November.