Luke soars in Sweden, as he becomes the UK #1 U20 Heptathlete

What an incredible experience and achievement for Luke Pichler. He became the clubs first U20 international, having been selected to be part of the elite England team for the Swedish Combined Events Championships in Stockholm. Just gaining this selection was a result of years of hard work - however what Luke achieved over the weekend showed just how exciting a future he has, with continued hard work and opportunities like this.

Luke adapated superbly to the new environment, with the wonderful hosts giving the England team the best chance to shine. On day 1, Luke started with a swift 60m despite a small stumble, and came alive in the long jump as he leapt out to 6.96m in the 2nd round, a massive PB. A long gap followed before event 3, giving Luke the experience of the format of a major international champs. The shot put was the toughest event of the weekend, with Luke struggling to get to grips with the 6kg shot. Nevertheless, a solid final throw kept Luke in a strong position. The day ended late, at 2030 local time, with a 1.85m clearance in the high jump to leave Luke in 2nd place overnight.

Day 2 began with hurdles, and Luke was in scintillating form running 8.25s. Next up, and Luke soared like an eagle to clear 3.92m in the pole vault for a huge PB. In the 1000m, Luke set himself a tough target, but wasnt quite able to hit the planned pace. He finished in a fine 2nd place, with 5150pts, ranking him #1 in Europe for athletes born in 2008, and first in the UK for U20 athletes. The whole weekend provided a fantastic opportunity for Luke to experience international competition - and Luke made the most of every second.