LOCAL athletes again showed their prowess at the 2019 Yorkshire Track and Field Championships, held at the Dorothy Hyman Stadium in Cudworth near Barnsley.

In addition to being the largest county in England, competition is made even tougher at these championships as Yorkshire boasts some of the finest athletes in the country.

Even more impressively, three of local athletes competed on both days to become double champions, demonstrating grit, determination and superb athletic abilities.

On Saturday, Steeton's Alex Thompson, running for Bingley Harriers, fought with the rain and strong rivals in the Under-17 Men’s 800m race, coming from behind the lead pack at the 600m mark to storm home in first place and win his first gold medal.

On the Sunday, the conditions were far more favourable as he led the 1500m race from the start and romped home to take his second win of the championship.

To finish the weekend on a high, he was also awarded the Yorkshire Best Male Cross Country award for his treble of wins at the Yorkshire, Northern and National Cross Country Championships.

Keighley and Craven’s Under-15 boy Sam Headley also complete the feat of gold in the 800m on Saturday and then again in the 1500m on the Sunday, after a nail-biting battle with clubmate Donnabhan Rudden, who took silver.

Former Bingley Harrier Matt Merrick, who now runs for Aldershot Farnham and District, returned to Yorkshire for the weekend and battled hard in the senior men’s 5000m on the Saturday to take a fiercely contested gold medal. On the Sunday he again ran well to take win the 1500m.

Not to be left out of the gold medal haul, Keighley’s Sam Conroy ran well in the Under-15 Boys' 3000m race to get a well-deserved win.

Hard-earned silver medals were won by Bingley’s Morgan Corcoran in the Under-15 Boys' 200m and 100m; Keighley’s Donnabhan Rudden in the Under-15 Boys' 1500m, Sebastienna Bairstow in the Under-15 Girls' 800m; Bingley’s Omaan Rashid in the Under-17 Men's shot put; Ilkley Harriers’ Bethan Morley in the Under-20 Women's 800m; Bingley’s Joanna Lawler-Rhodes in the senior women’s triple jump and Wharfedale Harriers’ Lee Athersmith in the senior men’s 3000m steeple chase.

Bronze medals were won by Keighley’s Sebastienna Bairstow in the Under-15 Girls' 1500m; Bingley Harriers’ Bailey Stirzaker in the Under-15 Boys' shot put, Sam Smith in the Under-17 men's 3000m, Will Thompson in the Under-20 men's 1500m and 3000m races, Archie Scott in the Under-20 men's 800m, Emily Field in the Under-20 women's 3000m, Shaun Barron in the Under-20 men's discus, Thomas Young in the Under-20 men's javelin; and Ilkley’s Istvan Jacso in the senior men’s 3000m steeple chase.