21st June 2008

SPAR European Cup, Annecy, France

 

21 June 2008

 

Day One 

 

 

Team GB & NI leave the stadium in high spirits after the first day of competition in Annecy. The men’s team are number one in the Cup standings with 55 points while the women are in medal contention in third with 51.  

 

17:00 (UK Time)

 

 

In the shot put Carl Myerscough (Blackpool & Fylde) finished sixth with 19.27m.  

 

UK 5000m number one Mo Farah (Newham & Essex Beagles) continued Team GB & NI’s run of form on the track, claiming first place in the 5000m crossing the line in 13:44:07.

 

“I have never won a European Cup so it’s nice to put my name on that list. I really enjoyed the atmosphere, I even saw my own special flag which said “Go Mo” so I was really chuffed about that. In this heat it would be silly to do anything daft at the start so with six or seven laps to go it was time to get serious. ”

 

UK javelin number one Goldie Sayers (Belgrave Harriers) finished fourth. Her 57.76m effort was not in keeping with her recent form and current season best of 63.96. She said: “The only thing I can say is it’s good to get a bad one out of the way. My timing is just not quite right yet.”

 

In the 3000m steeplechase Hatti Dean (Hallamshire) fell down the pack finishing in seventh place in 9.59.36.

 

In the long jump Chris Tomlinson (Newham & Essex Beagles), who is currently at the top of the UK Athletics Power of Ten rankings, finished fourth with his jump of 7.89 (+0.2m/s).

 

The women’s 4 x 100m relay team, made up of Montell Douglas, Jeanette Kwakye, Emma Ania and Anyika Onuora (Liverpool Harriers) finished second in 42:95 behind a strong Russian team.

 

The men’s 4 x 100m relay team ran strongly with smooth exchanges to finish second in 38.48, only to be upgraded to first following the disqualification of the German team, who were originally timed at 38.30. Christian Malcolm, Tyrone Edgar, Marlon Devonish (Coventry Godiva) and Rikki Fifton (Victoria Park & Tower Hamlets) were racing together as a quartet for the first time.

 

16:00 (UK Time) 

 

 

Philippa Roles (Swansea Harriers) finished seventh in the discus, throwing 56.36m.

 

Emma Ania (Shaftsbury Barnet) ran superbly in the 100m finishing second, to Olympic champion Yulia Nestsiarenka (BLR), and equalling her season best of 11.22 set in Turin this month.

 

She said: “I’m very happy. I know I can run faster if I get the start right. I want to beat her (Nestsiarenka) so badly, next time I hope to get her. ”

 

Tyrone Edgar (Newham & Essex Beagles) won a blistering 100m in 10.20. He currently sits at the top of the UK Athletics Power of Ten Rankings for the 100m following his 10.06 performance in Geneva in May.

 

He said: “I’ve done four or five years in America and now I’m really buckling down. It’s an Olympic year and 2008 is going to be my year. I had it in my mind, seven people weren’t going to win and I didn’t want to be one of them.”

 

Jenny Meadows (Wigan & District H & AC) triumphed in the 800m coming through on the home straight to cross the line in 2:01:20, just outside her season best. Meadows ran with a black armband and had the word Keith written on her hand in tribute to her father who died earlier this month.

 

She said:  “It started off quite fast and I found myself at the front and I needed to slow it down. The Belarussian gave me quite a few jabs for about three hundred metres but I’m delighted I managed to cover all the moves and spied my opportunity to win.”

 

Tom Lancashire (Bolton United Harriers) ran a solid race to finish fourth in the 1500m with his 3:42:11 effort.

 

Helen Clitheroe (Preston Harriers) ran an amazing 3000m, lying in fourth at 1 lap to go then charging down the home straight passing competitors from France and Russia to finish second with 9:04:38.

 

"At the bell I was struggling and I was starting to think about the heat and things like that. Down the back straight I said to myself "come on," I gritted my teeth and it paid off."

 

Nicola Sanders (Windsor Slough Eton & Hunslow) opened her season in fine form winning the 400m in 51.17.

 

"My coach told me to get out, see how it feels down the straight and then wind it up on the bend. For my first race I am really really chuffed about that. It’s quite abit faster than my first race last year so I feel but better today than I did yesterday."

  

Martyn Rooney (Croydon Harriers) continues his brilliant start to the summer season running a strong 400m to finish first with 45.33.

 

"A win was the first priority today, I decided this morning to go for a run and look at the time at the end. 45.33 is a good time but I know I have to run a bit faster if I want to make the final in Beijing. I know I’m capable of it."

 

 

15:00 (UK Time)

 

The NU GB & NI men’s and women’s teams both lie in seventh place with ten points.

 

 

Mike Floyd (Sale Harriers Manchester) finished seventh in the hammer with his 67.86m effort.

 

Samson Oni (Belgrave Harriers) failed to perform in the high jump, finishing in fifth place and bowing out at 2.20m after three no jumps at 2.24m.  

 

Louise Butterworth (Birchfield Harriers) bowed out of the pole vault at 3.90m after three no jumps at the 4.05m mark.

 

Tasha Danvers (Shaftsbury Barnet) finished seventh with 57.06 in the 400m hurdles.

                                                     

Noni Mordi (Shaftsbury Barnet) finished last in the triple jump with only one legal jump of 13.36m (+1.7m/s).  

 

Dale Garland (Birchfield Harriers) ran well in the 400m hurdles, crossing the line in fifth with 50.65.

 

100m Heats (non match)

 

Members of the NU GB & NI 4x100m relay squads tested their form on the first morning of the European Cup, dominating the 100m B heats ahead of their match outings on Sunday and all showing much promise for the AVIVA UK Championships and Olympic Trials in Birmingham on 11-12 July.

 

Jeanette Kwakye (Woodford Green & Essex Ladies) competed in the first of the women’s B heats.  The Chingford Flyer won in 11.44 (-1.5m/s) after a great start.

 

Emily Freeman (Wakefield Harriers) won the second of the heats in a season’s best of 11.37 (-1.1m/s), setting a new season best. Montell Douglas (Blackheath & Bromley) followed her GB & NI team mate in second place with 11.58.

 

Christian Malcolm (Cardiff AAC) ran a season’s best of 10.30 (0.0m/s) in the first of the men’s B heats. While Rikki Fifton (Victoria Park & Tower Hamlets) won the second equalling his season best with his 10.32 (0.0m/s) effort .

 

 

For full results from Annecy, visit the European Cup website.