Nadeen School: Primary Sports League U11 Athletics Meet by Mr Matt
13 students from Year 5 & 6 made history for Nadeen as they were crowned ‘Overall Winners’ of the Primary Sports League event for the very first time. The athletics meet consisted of a variety of track & field events, where our athletes were competing against athletes from 5 other international schools. The students were entered into a variety of events and were not only striving for individual success but also points for their team. Every place in the events would contribute to the overall team standings.
The students climbed onto the bus, full of excitement and hope of achieving success in their individual events. Healthy snacks and lots of water was encouraged to ensure the athletes were fueled and ready for their track & field events. After arriving, the students were taken on a lap with Mr. Kyle to familiarise themselves with the track and to discuss tactics for their races.
The girls started with their track events whilst the boys moved to their individual field events. In the 600m race, Nour from 6.3 paced herself well and collected Nadeen’s first medal of the day, by taking the silver. In the 100m heats, both Leticia (6.3) & Farida (6.2) won comfortably to book their spots in the final. Meanwhile, Aiden (6.1) & Arthur (6.3) were having their own battle for gold and silver in the Shot-Put. This time around, Aiden was just ahead of Arthur to take 1st place. Elsewhere, Jason (6.3) collected silver in the triple jump, having just been pipped by our own Leo (5.1).
Back on the track, Nour got her redemption by winning the gold medal in the 300m, keeping her teammate Leila (6.3) at bay. Another 1-2 finish for Nadeen. Farida (6.2) & Leticia (6.3) were also back in action on track in the 200m. A fantastic run by both of them, landed them a silver & bronze respectively. The boys were continuing to put in the hard yards in the field events. Leo (5.1) & Claudio (6.2) were having their own battle out front in the ball throw. Both repeatedly throwing 15m+. At the end of their 3 throws, Leo collected the gold, with Claudio picking up silver. Over on the Javelin, Aiden collected his second gold medal with an impressive throw of 17.60m. Meanwhile, Arthur (6.3) & Simon (6.1) picked up gold & bronze in the Standing Long Jump.
The final girls event on track was the girls 100m final. Both girls in the final performed exceptionally well, considering it was their third race inside 45 minutes. After a strong start and an excellent sustained effort, Farida picked up the gold medal.
“I was really happy with my performances and it was great to pick up not only some individual medals, but a team medal as well.“
– Farida, Year 6
After a short break, it was the boys turn on track and the girls were sent off to their field events. The events followed the same order. Arthur (6.3) & Leo (5.1) were up first in the 600m. Both boys set off at a steady pace and began to pick off their opponents as they entered the last 150m. Approaching the last 75m, Arthur kicked for home and picked up his first gold medal on track. In the boys 100m heats, Simon (6.1) & Jason (6.3) cruised into the final with two impressive performances. Over in the field events, Jessica (5.3) & Leila (6.3) were making their attempts in the long jump against some strong athletes. Leila (6.3) just pipped Jessica (5.3) and picked up the bronze medal. After just missing out on a medal in the shot-put, Jood (6.3) was determined to get her medal, and brought home the bronze in the Javelin. Over at the ball throw, Farida (6.2) & Sarah (6.3) were also competing and after collecting medals at our own sports day in this event, brought home the gold and silver medals.
In the boys 300m, Arthur (6.3) used a similar tactic as the 600m and timed his run to perfection, after ghosting round the outside on the turn, he then displayed great acceleration and cruised home for the gold, with Aiden (6.1) running a superb race back in third to collect bronze. After qualifying for the boys 100m final, Jason (6.3) & Simon (6.1) were entered in the 200m race. After a close battle heading up the final straight, Jason stuck his neck out and dipped at the right time to collect gold, with Simon just held in 2nd. In the final individual race, Jason (6.3) & Simon (6.1) were back on track again, this time in the 100m final. Following the intensity of the 200m, just 5 minutes before, the boys performed admirably. Jason again collecting gold, whilst Simon just missed out on a podium place in 4th.
“I am so happy for my teammates, we all worked so hard and it was great to see everyone perform so well.“
– Jason, Year 6
The final events of the evening were the boys & girls 4 x 100m relays. Our girls team of Farida (6.2), Leticia (6.3), Nour (6.3) and Leila (6.3) were up first. After an excellent first leg from Leticia and a great handover to Nour, the girls were looking good. Nour, more known for her long distance running, ran a solid leg, before handing over to Leila, who maintained the promising position. After another smooth handover, Farida powered home to collect the girls 4 x 100m gold medal. Next up was the boys, Arthur (6.3) ran a great first leg, before handing over to Aiden, whose long strides kept the boys in a great position. A smooth pass to Simon who coasted round the bend, to pass to Jason, who sprinted clear to take home another team gold with a time of 1:04:72.
During the presentation ceremony, the students were on a high after achieving so much. Despite the success, the students continued to display excellent sportsmanship and grace as other athletes collected their medals. After 12 individual gold medals, 6 individual silver medals, 4 individual bronze, and 2 team relay golds, Nadeen School were crowned overall winners of the PSL Athletics 2024. This was truly a fantastic team effort, every single member of our squad performed, whether they won a medal or not.
“This was truly a fantastic term effort, every single member of our squad performed to the best of their ability, whether they won a medal or not. I am extremely proud of them all.“
– by Mr Matt, Head of PE
