SAM Bennett is celebrating winning the biggest race of his life but afterwards admitted it was far from perfect.

The 14-year-old won the gold medal at the English Schools Championships in Gateshead last weekend in the junior boys 80m hurdles.

Bennett, who attends Southend High School for Boys, went into the championships as the fastest runner in the field.

And he reinforced that with a stunning race in the heats where he dipped inside 11 seconds for the first time, clocking a rapid 10.99s.

But the Laindon teenager admits nerves got to him a bit in the final where he had to come from behind to finally seal a memorable win.

“Everything went to plan in the heat,” said Bennett. “But I mucked up in the final a bit.

“I was really nervous and the person next to me false started which made me even more nervous.

“Then my start was horrible. I was behind for nearly the whole race. I don’t think it was until the eighth (and final) hurdle that I pulled clear.”

Despite Bennett’s self-criticism he still finished in gold medal position by a comfortable margin, by sprint hurdles terms at least.

He won in 11.03s with the second-placed athlete trailing behind in 11.15s.

“It didn’t seem they were that far behind,” laughed Bennett who has recently joined Basildon AC after being introduced to athletics by the PE staff at Southend High.

“I had always played football until I got to Southend High,” he said. “Once I got there I started playing basketball and rugby too but now athletics is the main thing for me.”

Bennett has linked up with specialist hurdles coach Steve Surety at Basildon AC as he looks to build on a breakthrough season.

Surety has now had two English Schools sprint hurdles winners in as many years after helping Michael Shields to a gold medal in the intermediate boys race last year.

And Bennett says he is already seeing the benefits of his new coaching set-up.

“Southend High got me into athletics and have helped me enormously and Steve has just refined my technique,” he said.

“They knew I could get better. I am so tall but my hurdling technique is not that good so that’s what I’ve been working on.

“I’ve only had about 10 sessions at Basildon but I’m enjoying it and it’s great to train with someone like Michael (Shields) who has won English Schools titles too.

“Winning the English School was 100 per cent the biggest thing I have done so far and hopefully I will be competing at those events a lot more in the future.”

A whole host of athletes from south-east Essex were representing their county at the prestigious English Schools Championships. Here we look at how they fared, age group by age group.

JUNIOR BOYS

SEBASTIAN Dickens won a bronze medal in the junior boys shot with a best putt of 13.98m. The competition was won by Dickens’ Essex team-mate William Adeyeye, from Grays, with a huge effort of 16.21m.

Echo:

William Adeyeye (centre) and Sebastian Dickens (right)

Rhys Bennett was seventh in the triple jump with a best distance of 12.29m while Joe Hall was seventh in the pole vault with 3.15m.

FitzWimarc School’s Jess Walker was sixth in the javelin with 42.77m and Southend High School for Boys’ Jolo Omotosho just outside the medals in the hammer as he finished fourth with 50.71m.

JUNIOR GIRLS

LAURA Runciman was the star of the show in the junior girls competition as she won a silver medal in the hammer.

The Sweyne Park School pupil threw a personal best (PB) of 47.38m to finish in second place and get her first national medal.

Echo:

Laura Runciman (right) with her silver medal from the junior girls hammer

Her Chelmsford AC team-mate Connie Forman was experiencing her first English Schools Championships. The Mayflower School pupil, from Billericay, finished seventh in the long jump with a leap of 5.26m.

Southend High School for Girls’ Dolita Shaw made the semi-finals of the 100m.

INTERMEDIATE BOYS

EASTWOOD School’s Billy Praim-Singh won a superb bronze medal in the hammer.

Praim-Singh, who finished just outside the medals in fourth last year, went one better this time round with a throw of 62.55m.

Echo:

Billy Praim-Singh (right) with his bronze medal from the intermediate boys hammer

There was disappointment for FitzWimarc School’s Michael Shields who was unable to defend his 100m hurdles title.

The Basildon AC athlete finished fifth with a time of 13.36s while his club-mate Parama Obi, from King John School, was seventh in the high jump with 1.90m.

Castle View School’s Victor Adebiyi finished sixth in the shot with a putt of 14.03m while Kristian Brown, of FitzWimarc, was fifth in the javelin with a PB of 56.66m.

INTERMEDIATE GIRLS

CANVEY’S Jodie Judd made the final of the 1,500m, finishing 12th in 4m 49.17s while Gabrielle Quigley, of FitzWimarc School, was 15th in the discus with a throw of 29.03m.

SENIOR GIRLS

DOUBLE English Schools medallist Isobel Ives did well to come back from injury and make the final in the 800m but finished down in eighth place while her Basildon AC team-mate Victoria Oshunremi was eighth in the triple jump with a hop, skip and jump of 11.06m.