TOM'S BEEN GUNNING DOWN THOSE RECORDS

HE WON'T even be a teenager until November 15 but Tom Marsden is already into the world of record breaking on the athletics track. He might be a member of Portsmouth Football Club's Under-12 squad and has visited Barcelona with them. But his passion for running has meant a crackle of anticipation each time he has awaited the starting gun this summer.
By The Newsroom
Published 23rd Sep 2004, 12:15 BST
Updated 8th Jun 2018, 01:19 BST

He has ended the season with the Sussex Under-13 800metres record, three club records '” 600m, 800m, 1,000m '” and two championship-best performances to his credit at 800metres.

He possesses the county 800metres record after this year breaking three times the club record. His 2min 18.5sec in the National Young Athletes League in late June was trimmed down to 2min 14.4 by August to take the county record.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

His modest 2min 22.2sec in July was the best the Sussex Under-13 Championships had seen and a week later his 2min 29.6 was enough to set a Worthing Area Schools Championship-best.

In May, he set a new club 600metres record of 1min 41.2, which he successfully attacked in late August with 1min 40.1sec.

And he pared down his best 1,000metres time from 3min 05.1sec in June to 3min 03.3 in July, then 3min 00.5sec this month in the Sussex Under-13 League Final at Crawley, which was a League season's-best.

Tom commented: "I've just been taking each race as it comes, after I'd gone for a 1,500m record at Hemel Hempstead earlier this season and it hadn't happened. My main event is the 800m. That's what I focus on."

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Marsden, a Durrington High School pupil, is 5ft 7in tall and already into size 11 shoes. He is also learning to play basketball and hoping to get into his school team.

His athletics pedigree is a solid club one on both sides.

Father Chris, 35, was a middle-distance team partner with Andy Charman as a 15-year-old, having joined in 1980, and now coaches at Worthing. Mother Jenny is the former Jenny Gray. She joined Harriers in 1977, ran middle distance and was a silver medallist in the Sussex Under-13 Cross Country Championships.

On the football side, Tom's uncle is former Lancing captain, Martin Gray, father Chris was a Worthing Youth player and grandfather Harry helped found Worthing Dynamos in 1977.

Tom's visit to Barcelona brought Pompey's Under-12 up against the Under-16 team of Boca Juniors, Argentina. He recalled: "They were quick and very good. The Spanish Under-16 club side we met were not as quick and they dived a lot '” you'd touch them and they'd go over as if you'd punched them in the face. But their passing and shooting were brilliant."

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Football will be around but athletics will have his attention this winter in the form of cross country. He was overall third individual last year in the Sussex League Under-13s, when the Harriers team were also third.

He said: "My dad just said try athletics, see how good you are and if you like it you can carry on. I do like it so I'll carry on until I have to make a decision."

See The Herald for more Athletics news.

Related topics:SussexMarsdenCrawleyBarcelona