DAVID Bauer, Harlow Athletics Club’s longest serving athlete was again in medal winning form last weekend. Competing in the M55 Shot Putt event at the British Masters Indoor Championships held at the Lee Valley Centre in Enfield, he battled fellow athletes from across the country at this most prestigious of events.

Off the back of a silver medal won at the Eastern Masters Indoors Champs held the previous weekend at the same venue, Bauer launched the 6kilo shot putt out to his best performance since 2021, with an effort of 11.08m. With the gold medal wrapped up early by John Twiddle of the Kingston Upon Hull club with a very impressive putt of 13.13m, it was down to Bauer and arch-rival Darren Kerr to battle it out for the silver.

Despite being in second place until round 4 of the 6 round competition, Bauer ultimately fell short to Kerr who was representing the Bedford & County club. It was Kerrs superior spin technique and competition temperament that proved the decisive factor, and Bauer was unable to raise his game significantly to go past Kerr’s 11.13m performance.

Bauer is now in his 41st year of representing Harlow AC. Having first made his debut representing the then Hammarsjkold Road based club in the Southern Mens League aged 18 throwing the javelin.

Since then he has gone on to be Essex seniors champion in Discus, competed for the Great Britiain Masters team at the European Interland tournament in 2007 and won several British Masters titles in both the discus and Weight Pentathlon multi event.

How many more years he will continue to fly the flag for Harlow AC as its longest serving member? Only time will tell.