16 July 2015

Hannah Brier (coach: Neal Merry, club: Swansea Harriers) made a spectacular start to the Championships, running a personal best in the heats of 11.39 (-0.6) which was the joint-fastest of all the competitors. She will advance to the semi-finals held later this evening after a busy morning session for the British athletes.

After moving to equal-third in the 2015 UK senior 100m rankings, the Welsh athlete said: “I didn’t expect that at all. I was telling Neal (Merry), my coach, that I was going to go out and not push it. I mean, to get a PB is brilliant and I’m really looking forward to the semi-finals when I can actually go fast.

“I was just concentrating on my own race – I felt a bit of pressure from the Jamaican inside of me so I pushed it a bit harder in the first 20m and then I just cruised in. I’m just so happy; it was a great confidence booster.”

After seeing her teammates Rechmial Miller and Oliver Bromby finish 3^rd and 4^th in yesterday’s Boys 100m final, Brier commented: “We all watched the boys yesterday and were screaming out heads off – it has definitely given us a lot of confidence.”

Jake Norris (Paul Dickenson, Windsor, Slough, Eton and Hounslow) confidently stepped into the boys hammer final after qualifying with his first throw. The youngest member of the team threw 73.82m into tomorrow’s final at 01:35 UK time.

He spoke afterwards: “It is amazing to be honest – I didn’t expect to get the qualifying mark on the first throw. It isn’t much less than my PB so I’m very pleased. I’m glad I don’t have to do the second or third throw because that would have put more pressure on me. But the whole experience wasn’t as nerve-wracking as I first thought and the circle is one of the best I have ever thrown in.”

One of the gutsiest runs of the day came from Sabrina Sinha (Mark Newell/Peter Mullervy, Cambridge Harriers) who qualified for the girls 1500m final after a thrilling finish. With only the top four guaranteed automatic qualification for the final, The Briton came into the final 100m in sixth position and 40m down on the top four. However, she sprinted for the line and late dip meant she finished fourth in 4:32.14.

Sinha said: “I was boxed in at the start so I had to get out and went to the front (over the first two laps). I was behind at the end but I just pushed my way through over the last 300m because I really wanted to be in that final. It is a relief to get in because that was my aim coming into this championship. It hurt a lot too but it was well worth it in the end.”

Harriet Knowles-Jones (Paul Roden, Warrington) joined her compatriot in the 1500m final as one of the next fastest qualifiers in what was a quicker heat. The Warrington athlete was eighth in the race but the time of 4:25.19 assured her progression into the Saturday’s final.

After the disappointment of disqualification in the 400m decathlon last night, Sam Talbot (Eldon Lake, Exeter) returned valiantly to record a PB in his favoured event, the 110m hurdles, posting a personal best of 13.79 (+0.2) for 1002 points. He threw 35.93m in the discus before achieving another lifetime best, this time in the pole vault. In a competition which lasted over three hours, he jumped 4.00m, a 25cm improvement and now has two events remaining later today. 

Alex Yee (Kenneth Pike, Kent) took to the track in hot conditions and expertly qualified for the 3000m final as he finished in the top five automatic qualifiers. The top two were fiercely quick over the final couple of laps and Yee had to battle with Spain’s Tariku Novales for fifth in 8:28.18 to book his place in the final on Sunday.

He said afterwards: “That was hard – my legs are really suffering now. I left everything on the track and I’m happy to reach the final. The field is tough, they are really quick. I need to rest my legs now and prepare for the final.”

Additionally, Carys McAulay (Philip Hicken, Warrington) comfortably qualified for tomorrows 800m semi-finals with a second place finish behind Ethiopia’s Gadese Ejara recording 2:06.26.

Full results can be found here: http://www.iaaf.org/competitions/iaaf-world-youth-championships/9th-iaaf-world-youth-championships-2015-5408/timetable/byday

Follow @BritAthletics for updates on the Brits during the evening session which begins 22:40 UK time. Highlights of day one can be found on British Eurosport 2 – please check TV listings for broadcast times.