21 March 2016

It was an exciting four days of competition at the IPC Grand Prix in Dubai with a number of Britain’s para-stars taking to the track and field against some of the best athletes in the world.

Hollie Neill (coach: Andrew Roda) was one of the star performers at the IPC Grand Prix, bagging a personal best in the F41 discus throw of 23.76m. It was an improvement of 15cm by the Briton.

Polly Maton (Colin Baross) enjoyed a very encouraging four-day of competition, setting two personal bests. The T46 athlete took 0.17 seconds off her 100m career best with a time of 13.12 (-0.2) before a 27.29 clocking in the 200m for a second PB. The 17 year-old was not finished there, jumping 5.17m in the long jump, narrowly outside her best.  

16 year-old talent Zak Skinner (David Hull) was in the form of his short career so far with three lifetime bests. They came in the T13 100m with 11.83 (+0.5), 200m in 24.40 (+0.2) and long jump with a jump of 6.10m. Zac Shaw (Joe McDonnell) was also in action in the T13 100m and 200m, posting times of 11.37 (+0.2) and 23.10 (+0.6) respectively.

World champions Hollie Arnold (Anthony Hughes) and Paul Blake (Rob Ellchuk) were in action at the GP. Double F46 javelin champion Arnold continued her dominance in the event, winning with a furthest throw of 38.55m in the second round. Multiple T36 800m and 400m world champion Blake won the 400m in 54.72 and was narrowly edged into second in the 800m with 2:06.99.

Sabrina Fortune (Ian Robinson) continued her PB form with another in the F20 shot put, this time throwing out to 12.45m to win the mixed competition. Also in the field, Kyron Duke (Hughes) threw 37.09m in the F41 javelin, Stephen Miller (Rosalynd Miller) 27.25m in the F32 club throw and Abbie Hunnisett (Hughes) was second in the women’s equivalent. Joshua Bain (Paul Welch) threw 11.34m in the F37 shot put and Vanessa Daobry (Alison O’Riordan) threw a best of 5.86m in the F34 shot put.

On the track there were a number of athletes in encouraging early season form. Sophie Kamlish (Ellchuk) ran 13.62 (-0.7) in the T42/44 before Katrina Hart (Ellchuk) posted 14.51 (-0.1) in the T37/38 equivalent. Erin McBride (Robert Roberts) competed in her first T13 400m of the season, finishing second in 1:02.24.

Meggan Dawson-Farrell (Ian Mirfin) arrived at the Dubai track fresh from PBs at the Sharjah meeting and clocked bests of 18.18 and 3:42.95 in the T34 100m and 1500m respectively. Carly Tait (Rick Hoskins) in the same classification competed across three disciplines. They were 100m (20.26), 200m (37.03) and 800m (2:29.51).

Andrew Small (Hoskins) earned PBs in the T33 100m and 200m with times of 19.12 and 34.95. He also raced over 800m, stopping the clock at 2:28.43. Team mate Nate Williams (Hoskins) crossed the line in a big PB in the T34 400m, taking three seconds off his previous best with 59.83. Not content with one event, he competed in three more – 100m (18.56), 200m (32.86) and 800m 2:00.70). In the T51/52 100m and 200m, Leeds City’s Nick Smith (Paul Moseley) finished in 20.56 and 41.04 respectively.