SWINDON Harriers’ top female long jumpers Abbie Chaundy and Abby Miles are enjoying a flying start to the new season.

Over the weekend, 17-year-old Miles won the Wiltshire title on her home track with a personal best of 5.41m, while 18-year-old Chaundy won the Gloucestershire senior women’s title with a leap of 5.24m.

Miles’ winning mark added six centimetres to her previous best and lifts her to equal fourth in the South West rankings for under 20 women.

“I am very happy with a PB,” said Miles, who lives in Shaw.

“That has given me the qualifying distance for the English Schools’ Championships which is good as it now means I can concentrate on getting ready for that.

“My aim is still to reach 5.60m by the end of the season and I reached 5.50m with one jump on Saturday but it was a slight fault as I was just over the board.

“It was a good competition and I also won the triple jump though it is unlikely I will be doing that again as I am sticking with the long jump.”

Miles’ victory in the triple jump completed a hat-trick of titles and in fact she has won the event in four of the last five championships.

Chaundy is just above Miles in the rankings, having cleared 5.53m earlier in the season, which was just five cms off her PB.

That has put Chaundy, who lives in Fairford, second in the South West.

Another Harriers’ long jumper to catch the eye on Saturday was Gam Dumbutshena. The 17-year-old Ridgeway School student, from Walcot not only won the senior men’s event but also added two centimetres to his personal best with 6.60m.

It lifts Dumbutshena from 11th to fourth in the South West U20 men’s rankings and is the best mark by a Wiltshire athlete this year.

“The long jumpers are doing really well this summer and both Abbie and Gam are really determined to do well,” said Harriers’ coach Tony Jackson.

“Gam needs to reach 6.80m to qualify for the English Schools’ Championships and he has been doing that in training so he can definitely do it.”

Among the throwers, pride of place must go to 13-year-old Katie Loach, who in only her second competition in the hammer not only won the under 15 girls’ event but set a personal best and championship record of 27.94m.

It was one of five new championship records, while in the relays, the Harriers senior women’s team ran 53.5secs for the 4x100m, equalling the record.

Back on the track, Ciaran Cooper looked impressive in winning both the senior men’s 400m and 800m titles.