FOUR talented teenage athletes have returned from Gateshead as English Schools champions.

Kaylee Dodd, Jessica Judd and Georgia Atkins all secured back-to-back victories, while FitzWimarc School’s Mitchell Etheridge won the pole vault crown for the first time.

And Etheridge, 16, did so in dramatic fashion, jumping 4.40m in the intermediate boys’ pole vault to secure the title, but only after snapping his pole and damaging his arm earlier in the competition.

For the trio of talented girls, an English Schools victory was nothing new.

Dodd, 15, from Beauchamps School, Wickford, won the junior girls’ 800m title last year and stepped up into the intermediate girls division and did exactly the same this year.

The Basildon AC athlete kept herself in contention throughout and none of her rivals could react when she kicked for the finishing line, winning in 2m 11.32s.

“I gave it my all right from the bell,” said Dodd. “I knew I couldn’t slow down and I just gave it everything.”

Judd, 16, from Canvey’s Castle View School, warmed up for her World Youth Championships bid this week over 800m by cruising to victory in the intermediate girls’ 1,500m in 4m 21.15s.

It was her third straight English Schools title and the Chelmsford AC athlete was delighted to do it for her school, which she leaves this summer.

“My teachers were in the crowd and I really wanted to do well for my school and team Essex,” Judd said. “It wasn’t easy. I knew I had to go out hard and hold on.”

Like Judd, Atkins’ victory was her third at the prestigious championships, after wins in the sprint hurdles last year and in 2009.

But this victory was probably the most unexpected as she came into the senior girls’ 100m hurdles event showing inconsistent form and was drawn in lane eight for the final, after qualifying just sixth fastest for the final.

Nevertheless, Atkins, 17, from Southend High School for Girls, showed her class, storming to victory in 14.24s.

“My heat was not fantastic and I’ve had trouble with injuries over the past couple of months, but I wanted to do well because it was my last year at these championships and my last race of the year. It felt really good to win,” she said.

There were medals too for FitzWimarc School’s Josh Prentice and Seevic’ Aaron Kaye.

Prentice, 14, threw the discus 42.66m to win the silver medal in the junior boys’ category, while Kaye jumped 4.60m for second in the senior boys pole vault.

The Essex team were overall winners of the competition.

>See Friday’s Echo for full reaction and report from the English Schools Championships.