18 June 2011

Aiming to secure a podium finish for the third consecutive time in the SPAR European Team Championships, the Aviva Great Britain and Northern Ireland team worked hard to secure their solid third place on the overnight standings.

With a superb opening by the team captain, there were a number of athletes who performed above and beyond expectation to put the side in a good place at the halfway stage.

Report:

Captain Fantastic Dai Greene (Coach: Malcolm Arnold) started the Aviva GB & NI team’s track campaign off with a flourish taking a relaxed victory, but also a championship record in 49.21 to take a maximum 12 points.

The Welshman who trains out of the University of Bath with Arnold’s talented sprint hurdles group, looked fairly relaxed, doing just enough to ease round ahead of second placed Germany.

"I felt in control the whole way round. It was hotter than I thought it would be and I’ve had a very hard training week but I knew I was number one on paper and I’d have to do something very wrong not to win,” he said.

“Obviously the bigger picture is Daegu. I just focused on what I was doing and felt very relaxed. There’s bigger and stronger competition in the next few weeks and I guess I’ll save my best for that.

“As Team Captain I’m pleased to lead by example, get full points and give the team a healthy start so we’re not chasing and hopefully the rest of the team saw that and are looking forward to competing and doing the same."

Inspired by her captain’s lead, Jenny Meadows (coach: Trevor Painter) underlined her world class credentials coming second in a high quality women’s 800m race behind Russian Mariya Savinova. Meadows, positioned perfectly throughout the race in second was just short of matching her long time rival’s closing sprint, but took a valuable 11 points for the Aviva GB & NI team.

“I’m Relieved! Eleven points is what I predicted for myself in the team meeting but I knew it wouldn’t be a safe bet. The Russian is a great athlete so if anyone had to beat me I could only really accept it was her and I’m glad I kept all the up and coming girls behind me,” she said.

“It’s another A standard for the World Champs, I’ve done that three times outdoors now. But 1.59.47 is what I do every day so I’m hoping now to go away and do some training to top the tank up as I’m running on empty at the moment. I haven’t got a race for three weeks now so I’ll go away and train hard to compete with Maria and the other girls that I’m going to race in Daegu.”

In a widely anticipated 100m race, Dwain Chambers ran well for 10.07, but was still disappointed to finish second behind French rival Christophe Lemaitre. Chambers, who has clocked a series of 10.0 timings so far this season, was strong out of the blocks but could not stay with Lemaitre’s 9.95 which was both a championship and French national record.

After, Dwain said: “I got the points. I’d like to have done better but getting points for the team was the main objective. When we (Lemaitre) race against each other we bring out the best in each other so I’ll look forward to the next opportunity to race against him. He’s going to go a long way and it would be good for European athletics to see us both in the World Championships final!”

Despite Lemaitre’s form however, he could not bring victory to the French 4x100m relay quartet, as the Aviva GB & NI men strode home for victory in 38.60 in the  last event of the day. The foursome of Christian Malcolm, Craig Pickering, James Ellington and Harry Aikines Aryeetey, looking good on changeover and securing a strong performance with half an eye on Daegu qualification.

There was drama for the women’s 4 x 100m relay squad – having secured fourth position overall and nine points for the team, they were disqualified for a changeover infringement, only to be reinstated at a later stage when footage showed they had not broken the rules. The quartet of Jeanette Kwakye, Anyika Onuora, Laura Turner and Abi Oyepitan, safely escorted their baton around in 43.50.

In the javelin there was good news as Goldie Sayers (Dan Pfaff) managed to throw her best distance since the Beijing Olympic final when opening her competition with 64.31m and improving it later on with 64.46m. The Belgrave Harrier who has experienced two years of injury frustration since her breakthrough Olympic year looked back to her best and was only beaten by a world-leading mark of 66.22m by Germany’s Christina Obergfoll.

“After some ups and downs it is brilliant to be back in a British vest and performing well,” she said.

“There’s still lots more to improve on. That was actually my third best ever and best since Beijing. It was a very pleasing performance but I’m even more pleased with my response and attitude today. Obviously to beat the World Record holder, Olympic Champion and Olympic silver medallist is not a bad day’s work after quite a difficult year.”