NESTL Rowntree athlete Asha Hibbert is hoping to win a medal in her last event as an English Schools' competitor this weekend.

Hibbert, 18, finished eighth in last year's English Schools' Heptathlon Championships and she travels to Exeter this weekend aiming to secure a podium finish before taking a year out from studying.

The former York Sixth Form College pupil is planning to enrol on a course at Leeds Carnegie University in 12 months time but, first, wants to end her school days with top marks in Devon.

She said: "I'm hoping to get a medal at Exeter. I qualified by finishing second in the Leeds heat and am looking forward to this competition.

"I then want a rest from education but I will be finding a job and training hard because I still want to carry on competing in heptathlons next year and when I am a student."

The heptathlon's popularity in Great Britain has soared since Denise Lewis's Olympic triumph in Sydney and Kelly Sotherton's recent bronze medal in Athens.

Clifton-based Hibbert is dreaming of emulating their achievements but, at the moment, is having to pay out of her own pocket to fulfil her ambitions.

She said: "I will be able to claim the money back from the North Yorkshire Athletics Association but I have had to find £200 to go.

"I could not afford the train, so I will be going on a 10-hour coach journey and staying overnight in Exeter tonight and tomorrow before travelling back on Sunday."

The Championships are tomorrow and Sunday and Hibbert is expected to be strongest in the 100m hurdles, 200m and 800m running events. She will also be required to take on rivals at long jump, high jump, shot putt and javelin.

...after she warms up by winning five golds

ASHA Hibbert won five gold medals at Nestl Rowntree Athletic Club's Open Medals Meeting at Huntington Stadium as she prepared for the English Schools' heptathlon finals this weekend.

She won the 200m (26.1sec), 800m (2min 25.1sec), long jump (5.50metres); high jump (1.51m) and javelin (23.42m).

Alice Bean won the 100m and took silver in the 400m.

Emma March, who has recently returned to the club, won the shot putt and took silvers in the 100m, long jump and high jump.

In the 3,000m, Charlotte Maxted stepped up from the under-17 age group to take on the seniors and ran well in blustery conditions to collect the silver medal.

In the under-17 age group, Amy Bird finished fourth in a fast 100m and took bronze in the 200m in 27.2sec.

It was a clean sweep for the home athletes in the 300m, Alice McCabe winning in 43.9sec, leading home Nina Batt and Laura Hunter. McCabe and Batt also won silver and bronze medals in the 80m hurdles.

Emma MacAlister-Hall clocked 2min 27.6sec in winning the 800m. Katie Mellor was close behind.

Amy Bird continued her recent good form by winning the high jump in 1.45m while Sophie Cuthbertson won the long jump with 4.84m.

Becky Campsall achieved a sprint double in the U15 section, winning in 12.8sec and 26.4sec respectively.

Laura Rigby was third in the 100m and took silver in the 75m hurdles. Nassira Cheref ran 12.9sec for third.

Vicky Graves won the 1,500m in 5min 13.6sec.

In the U13 section, shot putter Emily Rainton threw 6.84m for gold and Abigail Hardy-Mayo was second with 6.12m.

In the U11s, Laura Skelton won silver medals in the 75m (11.3sec), 600m (1-58.4) and long jump (3.68m). The winner of all three events was Shannon Greenwood, from Spenborough, who is undefeated in all events this year. In the 75m, Hannah Goodall ran 11.5sec for bronze.

Updated: 08:34 Friday, September 17, 2004