18th February 2009

McCain ICC Finalists Confirmed

 

18 February 2009

 

The eight teams in contention for the McCain Indoor City Challenge (ICC) title have been confirmed and now the waiting game begins until the highly anticipated final event in Cardiff on Saturday 28 February 2009.

Team  London South, Team Bristol, and Team London North progressed from the first round of competition at the Lee Valley Stadium in late January. While a high quality second semi-final at Sheffield’s English Institute of Sport (EIS) saw reigning champions Team Sheffield sail through to the final ,looking for a fifth consecutive win, along with Team Edinburgh, Team Manchester, Team Newcastle and Team Cardiff. 

For many of the athletes involved, the semi-finals were a chance to begin their 2009 season with high class competition and stretch their legs on the indoor track and they did just that with an enormous 61 new personal bests set over the two events.

£20,000 worth of prize money is up for grabs in the final, among those athletes who could be getting among the prizes are:  

UK Indoor champion and Great Britain & Northern Ireland 800m regular Jenny Meadows (Team Manchester) who may use the event as part of her build-up to a possible medal tilt at the European Indoors in Turin, Italy on 6-8March. 

The evergreen Olympian Donna Fraser (Team London South), who became double UK Indoor champion for the 200m and 400m at the Aviva European Trials & UK championships EIS in Sheffield last weekend.

Rising pole vault star Emma Lyons (Team Manchester) who joined the GB All Time top ten early in the season with her 4.27m personal best at the Welsh Indoor Championships.

Former Commonwealth and five-times UK Indoor triple jump champion Julian Golley (Team London North), new UK Indoor 200m champion Leon Baptist (Team Sheffield) and junior sprint talent Shaunna Thompson (Team Manchester) who became Commonwealth Youth Games 100m and 200m champion in 2008.

The event, which starts at 12 noon on 28 February 2009, is free for spectators.

For more information visit- http://www.uka.org.uk/competitions