Name: Connor Neal 

Sport: Athletics 

Best achievement in the last 12 months: 4th place at England Senior Championships in 400m (Chelmsford , 23 July 2023). 

Bio: Hi, my name is Connor and I am a National 400m runner. I joined Thanet Athletics Club in 2010 and have been competing in athletics for 11 years, but have only been competing at National level since 2020. My greatest achievement so far is becoming England Under 23 Champion in 400m in 2022, and I am currently Kent Senior Champion for 200m. My goal for this year is to represent Great Britain in the 4x400 relay at the European Championships in Rome. 

Name: Ismae Abomeli 

Sport: Athletics 

Best achievement in the last 12 months: Becoming the South of England U15 Long jump champion in January, jumping 5.20m which places me 6th in the UK. South of England silver medallist in 200m.

Bio: Hello, my name is Ismae Abomeli. Athletics has always been a part of my life since i was little. I've watched elite athletes compete at Olympics in 2012, since then the London anniversary games and the commonwealth games in Birmingham. I decided I wanted to give it ago, I started training the age of 8 at Thanet Athletic Club which is situated in Ramsgate. I still train with them now but specialise in sprinting . Every other week I travel to London and train at Lee Valley Athletic Centres with my long jump coach John Herbert who is a GBR Olympian triple jumper. I love Athletics there are a lots of different events to explore. Overtime I have found events which I enjoy the most and are best suited to my ability. I believe it is quite an inclusive sport for everyone to enjoy and not only is an individual person sport, there are events and opportunities to work as a team. I also love the fact that Athletics has helped me in other areas of my life, such as becoming a more confident person also the sport benefits my mental health. It gives me a chance to focus on other things instead of just school and exams . I've competed in lots of different competitions all over the county , including pentathlons . I have competed at many County championships and some South of England Championships & Nationals over the years . My main events are 200 metres and Long jump. I've also run 100 metres from time to time and when there is the opportunity for a relay I compete in them . Previously i have also competed in the Kent Relay Championships where my team placed in 1st and 2nd place. Every year since 2021 I have competed in the KYAL series. However for example last year I had to miss out on a couple of them in order to prioritise the bigger and more significant competitions such as South of England Championships.

Name: Rosie Pope

Sport: Swimming

Best achievement in the last 12 months: Finaled in the 200 Fly at the 2023 British Championships (25, July 2023). Gold medal for the 800m Freestyle at the 2024 Kent County Championships (27, January 2024)

Bio: Hello, my name is Rosie. I have been swimming with Thanet Swim Club since I was 7 years old and am now a member of their Youth Performance Squad. I competed in my first National competition, the English Summer Championships, in 2022 where I PB'd in all my events and won Silver in the 1500m Free and Bronze in the 400m Freestyle. In 2023, I went better and I competed at my first British Summer Championships where I successfully made the finals of the 200m Butterfly event (I PB'd in the heat and again in the final). I am currently on rankings to compete in my second British Championships. I have competed very successfully at both County and Regional level and have won many medals at this level in my favourite events (Free, Back and Fly). I am ranked in the Top 15 nationally for the 200m Butterfly and am also currently ranked 3rd in the region. This year I was selected for the Swim England Talent pathway for my distance swimming. I love training (most of the time!) and the sense of achievement of hitting my times in our sessions. I really enjoy land training in the gym and do extra sessions at Ramsgate Leisure Centre when I can. I have made some amazing friends through swimming not only at Thanet but also with those I compete against/with from other clubs.