Brits Set Medley Best

27 April 2009

Olympic and World 400m champion Christine Ohuruogu (Newham & Essex) teamed up with UK 400m rival Nicola Sanders (Windsor, Slough, Eton & Hounslow), UK 400m hurdles champion Perri Shakes-Drayton (Shaftesbury Barnet) and Olympic 800m runner Jemma Simpson (Newquay & Par) to set a new UK record at the Penn Relays in Philadelphia on Saturday.

The all-British quartet were taking part in the rarely run 200m x 200m x 400m x 800m medley relay distance against strong international opposition in the USA. They placed 5th in 3:40.38, taking over 10 seconds from the previous best time. Ohuruogu led the team off before handing to Sanders, on to Shakes-Drayton before Simpson brought the baton home.

Jamaica won in 3:34.56, followed by Russia, USA Blue, USA White, the British foursome and a World All-Stars in sixth. Also at the meeting, Brits Andy Turner (Sale Harriers), Tyrone Edgar (Newham & Essex), Rikki Fifton (Victoria Park & Tower Hamlets), Simeon Williamson (Highgate Harriers) were 8th in the men’s 4x100m in 39.84.

Also in the USA, British Olympians Andrew Lemoncello (Fife AC) and Tom Lancashire (Bolton Harriers) were in action at the Brutus Hamilton International at the University of California, Berkeley on Friday evening.

Steeping up from the 3000m steeplechase Lemoncello took part in the invitational 10,000m and slashed over 30 seconds off his PB by clocking 27:57.23 to place 7th, a mark just over 10 seconds outside the UKA A qualifying standard for this summer’s IAAF World Championships in Berlin.

Lancashire also stepped up in distance with some success, the 1500m runner clocked a PB of 13:34.44 to finish 7th in the men’s 5000m.