23 August 2010

On the weekend preceding England’s team announcement for the Commonwealth Games, athletes from across the UK continued their seasons, with some impressive performances on the domesticand international stage: 

England Under 17 Championships, Bedford, August 21/22

Despite running into a headwind, Alex Kiwomya won the Under 15 100m in a big PB and championship best of 10.98 to go well clear in the POT rankings and that puts him second in the all time rankings to Mark Lewis Francis’s 10.93.

Yasmin Miller, who was ranked 28th equal all time in the Under 17 sprint hurdles pre race with 11.33, won in big PB of 11.02 which equals the British record and Championship best.

Aaron Pitt (David Pring) went inside 50 seconds for the first time to go second in the POT rankings to Kimwomya with his championship best of 49.99 and put him in the fastest eight u15s of all time.

Dina Asher Smith (John Blackie) won a Under 15 sprint double of 12.00/24.77. In the 100m her time was a new PB and moved her top of the POT rankings with the previous leader Lukesha Morris (Conrad Rowland) equalling her best of 12.06 in second position.

After her record setting exploits in recent weeks, budding middle distance athlete Jessica Judd  (Jeremy Freeman) just settled for victory in the Under 17 girls 1500m with a six second win in the 1500m with 4:33.54.

Another record breaker, Pentathlon star Morgan Lake (Eldon Lake) won a long and high jump double in the U15s with 5.60m and 1.65m.

In the throws, Oliver Bradfield (Tim Newenham) set a championship record in the Under 15 boys javelin with 65.26m to go close to his British record and POT top ranked mark but he was pushed all the way by Thomas Peters (David Parker) who led him for three rounds and went second in the all time lists and POT rankings with a huge PB of 64.74m. His previous best was 60.55. Meanwhile, Abbi Carter (Dave Smith) set a championship record of 55.03m in the Under 15 Hammer and go close to her British record and POT top ranked mark of 55.44m.

Naomi Reed (John Crotty) set a championship best in the Under 17 triple jump with 12.23m which was a legal PB and the best POT mark of the year.

Lucy Bryan (Neil Winter) set a championship record in the Under 17 pole vault with 3.81m.

One of the best clashes came in the Under 15 boys 1500m with Ahmed Hassan (John McClaren) won in 4:09.00 from Matt Shirling (Adrian Webb)  who ran 4:09.32.

Even closer was the Under 17 400m hurdles as there was a tie betweenn Sean Adams (Michael Coker) and Jacob Paul (Marina Armstrong) in 53.68.

Another great race was the Under 17 100m hurdles where Jake Porter just beat Joe Yarde (Marina Armstrong) as both timed 13.18 which is the fastest legal electrical time of the year which was previously held by third placer Blade Ashby, who had also run 13.18 earlier in the season but here ran 13.24.

Results here http://www.athletics-uk.net/england/results/bedfordu17/

IAAF World Challenge Meeting, Berlin, August 22

Kenyan David Rudisha’s world 800m record of 1:41.09 took all the attention though there were some British athletes in action at other events.

Andy Turner (Lloyd Cowan) improved from his Zurich run with a second place in a competitive field in 13.30, just 0.03 down on winner Ryan Wilson of the USA and 0.02 from his winning time in Barcelona. Will Sharman (Jerzy Maciukiewicz) was third in 13.44.

Tom Lancashire (Coach: Norman Poole) improved his time in second place in the 1500m Power of Ten rankings with 3:34.59. At 800m in a women’s race notable for a sub-2 minute victory for World champion Caster Semenya, Jemma Simpson (Mark Rowland) was a close fourth in 2:00.57.

In the 400m, Martyn Rooney (Nick Dakin) finished fourth in 46.08 while Mark Lewis Francis (Linford Christie) was  eighth in the 100m in 10.40. Finally Joice Maduaka (Loren Seagrave) was ninth in the 100m in 11.71.

Results here http://www.iaaf.org/iwc10/results/eventcode=4447/

British Athletics League, Premiership, Lee Valley, August 21

In a competitive BAL fixture, Matthew Roberts (Coach: Fayyaz Ahmed) won a quality high jump in a big personal best of 2.26m to go equal fourth in the Power of Ten rankings. He won on count-back from Tom Parsons (Fayyaz Ahmed) and B winner Robbie Grabarz (also Ahmed) who also cleared 2.26m.

Brett Morse (Nigel Bevan) was again over 60 metres in the discus with a throw of 60.80m and Emeka Udechuku was close behind with 60.32m.

Scott Rider (Jphn Hillier) who lies second in the shot rankings with his 18.95m of the week before had his second best mark of the year, a 18.52m.

Results here http://www.thepowerof10.info/results/results.aspx?meetingid=38474

British League Division 2, Wormwood Scrubs, August 21

Youngster Kadeem Greenidge Smith (Coach: Timothy Hughes) set a PB legal mark long jump in winning in 7.49m to go second in the POT Under 20 rankings, and just 4cm off the leading mark.

Results here http://www.thepowerof10.info/results/results.aspx?meetingid=35845

Konigs, Wusterhausen, Germany, August 20

JJ Jegede (coach Michael Afilaka), who lies third in the UK rankings with a 7.84m long jump, had an excellent win with 7.76 whilst Mark Findlay (Michael Afilaka) won the 100m in 10.37.

Britain’s top pole vaulter Steven Lewis (Dan Pfaff) had a 5.40 vault which placed him third.

Results here: http://leichtathletik.de/results/3317_kw_200810.htm

IAAF Diamond League, Zurich, August 19

Mo Farah (Coach: Ricky Simms) took the main headlines in the UK with his record breaking run but there were other UK athletes in action.

Also in the 5000m, second in the POT rankings with 13:11.51, the European 10,000m silver medallist Chris Thompson (John Nuttall) was 16th in 13:28.42.

In a rough 1500m race, Stephanie Twell (Mick Woods) trimmed a further 0.16 off her PB, set in Barcelona with a 4:02.54 clocking. Not only was it her fastest time but the third place was the highest position she has managed in 11 1500m races this year.

Lisa Dobriskey (George Gandy) lost her shoe but still finished fourth in 4:02.92.

Chris Tomlinson (Peter Stanley) finished a fine third in the long jump in 7.97m and in a hot 110m hurdles, another European champion Andy Turner (Lloyd Cowan) ran a fast 13.36 only 0.08 from his POT top ranking time in winning Barcelona but ended up eighth while Will Sharman (Jerzy Maciukiewicz) was ninth in 13.51.

Sarah Kelly (Liz McColgan) won the Under 20 women’s 800m in 2:05.99.

Eilidh Child (Stuart Hogg) was fifth in the 400m hurdles in 55.57. Just down on her best of 55.16, set at Crystal Palace.

Martyn Bernard (Dan Pfaff) was eighth in the high jump with 2.20m while Martyn Rooney (Nick Dakin) and Michael Bingham (Ken Harnden) were 6th and 7th in 45.67 and 46.00 respectively.

Results here http://www.diamondleague-zurich.com/en/Results/Overview/

BMC Regional Races, Eltham, August 18

In some top class 800m races, Andrew Osagie (Coach Craig Winrow) won in 1:47.80 while Aviva England Under 23 champion Joe Durrant (Ray Daniel) who ran 1:48.37 in second was one of four of the top six who set PBs.

In the women’s race Jessica Judd (Jeremy Freeman) improved her UK age 15 record to 2:05.58 as she finished seventh in a tight race won by Ireland’s Gloucester-based Rose Anne Galligan in 2:02.97 narrowly ahead of Danielle Christmas (George Gandy) who ran 2:02.99.

Results here http://www.thepowerof10.info/results/results.aspx?meetingid=35657&event=800&venue=Eltham&date=18-Aug-10