2nd March 2022

GILES AND UGEN CROWNED WORLD INDOOR TOUR SERIES WINNERS IN MADRID

Elliot Giles (coach: Jon Bigg, club: Birchfield) and Lorraine Ugen (Dwight Phillips, Thames Valley) were crowned overall World Indoor Tour series winners at the final Gold event in Madrid, Spain.

Ugen continued her rich vein of form in the Spanish capital as she dominated the women’s long jump. The 2016 World Indoor bronze medallist led from round one after a solid jump of 6.48m, and she further consolidated that lead in round five when she extended her best to 6.67m, which was also a meeting record.

With WIT leader Khaddi Sagnia (SWE) absent, the Thames Valley athlete seized her opportunity and although the pair finished level on points in the series, longer jumps from the Briton earlier in the series saw her claim the victory.

On the track, after dominating the series this winter, Giles delivered another masterclass of 800m running as he bided his time to glide past Mariano Garcia (ESP) in the closing stages to take yet another win.

The UK champion, who had already confirmed his place in Belgrade, settled in behind the pacemaker in the early stages, and despite the Spaniard moving ahead before the bell, Giles ran a composed last lap to overtake Garcia after the final bend to triumph for the third time in the series, and did so in a meeting record time of 1:45.43.

David King (Tim O’Neil) set a huge PB in the men’s 60m hurdles final as he posted a time of 7.57 for third place in the race. It was the City of Plymouth athlete’s first sub 7.60 clocking of his career, and in the process he moved to ninth in the UK all-time list ahead of Lawrence Clarke.

He got a great start out of the blocks and was level with the Spanish duo of Asier Martinez and Enrique Llopis for the majority of the race, however, the duo just edged it in 7.56 but it was an impressive display from the Belgrade-bound British athlete.

In the heats, he has already lowered his personal best to 7.61, another improvement after running 7.63 at the Muller Indoor Grand Prix Birmingham a couple of weeks ago. He qualified for the final in second place, while Andrew Pozzi (Stratford-upon-Avon) had to wait to see if his time of 7.73 in fourth place in heat one would see him through. After the second heat, his place was confirmed, but he did not race in the final.

Adelle Tracey (Craig Winrow, Guildford and Godalming) and Jenny Selman (Lewis Walker, Fife) finished second and fourth respectively in the women’s 800m.

Tracey – who won the UK 1500m title at the weekend, ran a solid 800m to clock 2:01.89 and held off the fast-finishing Christina Hering (GER) and Selman for second position. The Scottish athlete, Selman, who qualified for the world indoors last weekend, posted a time of 2:02.14.

There was a fourth-place finish for Emily Borthwick in the women’s high jump which was won by Australia Eleanor Patterson.

The Wigan & District athlete cleared 1.83m on her third and final jump at the height, and despite sailing over 1.87m at the first time of asking, three fouls at 1.90m brought her series to a close. However, she finishes the overall World Indoor Tour series in second place behind the Australian, Patterson.

There was a fifth-place finish for Jeremiah Azu (Helen Patricia James, Cardiff) in the men’s 60m final as he crossed the line in a time of 6.63. The race was won by the American Elijah Hall in 6.57.

The Welshman had clocked 6.71 to finish second in his heat to comfortably progress to the final earlier in the programme.

Results