Herne Hill Harriers’ Stacey Ward is just one of a number of athletes making noises at the London running club – according to coach Geoff Jerwood.

Ward, 30, finished in 12th out of 17 runners in the 5,000m at the British Championships – held in Birmingham earlier this month – clocking 16 minutes 25.27 seconds.

Meanwhile, at the same event, Gavin Johnson-Assoon, 34, picked up a bronze medal in the javelin with a throw of 64.30m – marking his greatest success on the national stage.

And now Jerwood, a former GB international marathon runner, thinks the pairs’ success is an indication of what could be a promising few seasons for the Harriers.

He said: “We’ve got a fair few athletes at the club who are making really good progress. Stacey is 30, but she’s a lot younger than her age suggests.

“She’s had a tough time in the past with injuries and busy working commitments away from the sport, but it’s great to now see her really being able to focus on her running.

“This year has been her first track season in about six years and she’s having some success. Her run at the British champs was great and shows that she belongs at that level.”

He added: “Gavin was brilliant as well and you can see the improvement he has made from last year.

“With that, we have a really strong 4x400m relay team and they just missed out on the final that weekend, but overall things are looking good.”

With the athletics’ season coming to an end, another Harrier, Katie Snowden, will be at the English Championships in a fortnight and is just the latest in a successful production line at the club.

Jerwood said: “Katie went to the Euro U23s and finished sixth in the 800m, and recently ran a great 1,500m.

“I’ve known her a long time and coached her for two years before she went to university. We still stay close and talk almost daily.

“Her first coach was James McDonald, who did a fantastic job – she will go a long way in the sport.”

He added: “The club is full of people who probably don’t always get a mention.

“Everyone, including club secretary Steve Bosley, work really hard and are always striving for great success.”