Champions of yesteryear proudly take to the track at the Alexander Stadium as they relive memories of their teenage triumphs
On Saturday lunchtime around 100 or so former English Schools champions gathered in the home straight of the Alexander Stadium in Birmingham before joining the current teenage competitors in the traditional parade of county teams. It was an emotional moment as multiple generations of the nation’s finest athletes shared the spotlight. How better to celebrate the centenary of an event that was first staged in 1925?
The champions of yesteryear included Margaret Allum, 85, who won junior girls 70 yards hurdles gold in 1954, together with Warwick Dixon, 90, the senior boys discus winner at the same 1954 championships in Ashington in Northumberland. Remarkably, Dixon still competes today and broke six British M90 records on the same day recently!
Olympic heptathlon champion Denise Lewis, sprints legend Donna Fraser and high jumper extraordinaire Dalton Grant – all relative youngsters in comparison – were among the more recognisable faces, with Fraser having won a remarkable six English Schools titles during her teenage years.
Hurdles greats Alan Pascoe and Jon Ridgeon, both of whom have held hugely influential positions in the sport since hanging up their spikes, were also part of the throng.
The latter had missed the Diamond League in Monaco in order to be in Birmingham. He was in the West Midlands primarily to present the English Schools Athletic Association with a World Athletics heritage plaque. But for the global governing body’s chief executive this was far more personal as he won two English Schools sprint hurdles titles 30 years after his mother, Margaret, won 70 yards hurdles gold in 1954. What’s more, one of his sons, Noah, was competing in the 2025 championships in the senior boys 400m.
“English Schools was incredibly important for me,” he told AW. “I remember feeling immensely proud of winning a title and it set me up really well for our future international athletics careers.
“So many former champions being here speaks volumes of how important it is. This was our first big championship.”
Ridgeon’s mum, Margaret, added: “I think it changed my life. I wasn’t very academic but to win that made people look at me differently.”
Margaret remembers that her red shorts, yellow vest and spikes were all lent to her by her school. She used the idea of getting “those little red shorts” for motivation when trying to qualify for her county team. She was also delighted to be able to keep the spikes. “I doubt there were any sports shops where you could easily buy shoes like that back then,” she said.
Margaret, who was proudly wearing her English Schools medal around her neck on Saturday in Birmingham, added: “Our teachers very much looked after us in those days. You always stayed with the same group and didn’t wander off as athlete do now. We were in digs and always with friends there, never alone.”
Even the train trip from her home in Suffolk to the championships in Northumberland was an adventure. “Afterwards, I wasn’t sure I’d won, but when I found out that I did it made me feel so special achieving something I didn’t think I’d achieve.”
Given that the championship had only been going for 29 years when she won her gold, was it already a big deal back at that stage? “Oh yes, definitely,” she said, although she says she never felt the urge to brag about it to her son, Jon.
Dixon was one of the oldest winners at the 1954 championships and he went on to throw for Britain in senior athletics … and eventually masters athletics.
Amazingly he is still going today. “I had a short break recently and I jokingly call them my ‘gap years’ before coming into the new age group as an over-90,” he said. “My advice is don’t take a break as it’s harder to get back into it!”
Dixon spent much of his adult life teaching in Loughborough. He still looks in fine shape as well. As does Pascoe, 77, who won sprint hurdles gold twice after some earlier near misses.
“It was transformational to me,” said Pascoe, who went on to win European and Commonwealth 400m hurdles titles. “It was when I realised, the second time I came here, that I could do quite well as an athlete. I was a council house kid and we didn’t really have family holidays other than with relatives so being billeted out was exciting.”
READ MORE: 100 years of the English Schools
Several past winners on Saturday had gold medal winning children at these 2025 championships. They included discus thrower Emeka Udechuku, shot putter Julie Dunkley and high jumper Brendan Reilly.
To celebrate 100 years of championships is quite some milestone. For an entire century the English Schools has acted as a springboard for success for multiple generations of talented athletes. Such is its longevity, the English Schools even pre-dates AW by 20 years.
“One hundred years is a pretty spectacular achievement and it was definitely worth turning up to celebrate that,” said Ridgeon. “It’s still today of fundamental importance so long may it continue.”
2025 championship records
Saturday
Ethan Franklin (Essex), senior boys 200m, 20.85
Rayhan Mourtada (Kent), senior boys 400m hurdles, 51.45
Harriet Court (Kent), senior girls javelin, 52.68m
Lucia Bertacchini (Hampshire), inter girls 300m hurdles, 41.13
Divine Iheme (Oxfordshire), inter boys 100m, 10.41
Isla Perry (Devon), junior girls 300m, 38.61
Annabelle Fasuba (Devon), junior girls 200m, 23.72
Hugo Bucher (Middlesex), junior boys javelin, 69.89m
Lancashire, mixed relay seniors, 44.21
Cheshire, mixed relay inters, 43.90
Devon, mixed relay juniors 45.98
READ MORE: Records fall in fine weather at English Schools
Friday
Daniel Emegbor (Hertfordshire), inter boys long jump, 7.80m
Leila Newth (Middlesex), inter girls triple jump, 12.59m
Isla Perry (Devon), junior girls 300m heats, 39.18 (improved in Saturday’s final)
Adanna Udechuku (ESSEX), Junior Girls Shot, 14.08m
Essex, 400m senior boys, 40.55
Surrey, 4x100m junior boys, 43.33
Full results here.
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