02 March 2015

Molly Barnett Open and British Athletics Winter Race Walking Challenge Final, University of Warwick, Coventry, 1Mar

Tonbridge AC’s Tom Bosworth (Andi Drake) broke into new territory for British race walking as he smashed Chris Maddocks’ long-standing UK 10km record and broke through the 40 minute barrier. A year ago Bosworth missed Maddocks’ 1989 record of 40:17 by an agonising two seconds but this time he made no mistake, despite strong winds and a testing course, passing 5km in 19:44 and reeling off a series of sub-four minute kilometre splits to finish in 39:36.

“The conditions were tough today but this shows the shape I am in,” said Bosworth, who won the 3,000m walk at the Sainsbury’s Indoor British Championships in Sheffield a fortnight ago. “I am honoured to set a British record today and I will now target Ian McCombie’s 20km British record in Lugano in two weeks’ time.”

Behind Bosworth, who secured victory in the British Athletics Winter Race Walking Challenge, there was a battle between Britain’s leading junior trio. Callum Wilkinson (Mick Graham) pulled away with three laps to go to take the runners-up spot in a big new PB of 44:15. His two Under 20 rivals, Cameron Corbishley (Chris Hobbs) and Guy Thomas (Peter Selby), both suffered disqualifications.

 In the women’s 10km the Bristol-based Italian Tatyana Gabelone (Mark Wall) took the title in a PB time of 46:24. She pulled away in the second-half of the race to win from Heather Lewis (Martin Bell), who finished second in 47:26, and Bethan Davies (Andi Drake), who was third in 48:47. Heather Butcher (Noel Carmody) won the women’s 10km in 53:48, taking the Winter Challenge title.

Reigning Commonwealth 20km champion Jo Atkinson (Maureen Jackson) made her first appearance since June in the 5km event. The Middlesbrough and Cleveland athlete set a fast early pace, going through 3km in 13:26, but was disqualified at the start of the final lap. Emma Achurch (Steve Arnold) proceeded to win in 23:29, moving to fourth place on the UK junior all-time list. Sophie Lewis Ward (Noel Carmody) won the Under 17 girls’ race in 24:54, a  PB, while Chris Snook (Verity Snook) won the Under 17 boys’ event in 24:51, also a PB.

The Under 15 girls race and Winter Challenge title went to Anna Garcia (Brian Adams) in 15:38  with Ben Allen (coach: unknown) winning the boys Under 15 race in 15:57. The boys Under 13  2km race was won by Hisham Alkamesi (Steve Arnold) in 11:19, with Suki Ly (coach: unknown) taking first place in the girls  race in 11:16.

England Under 20 Indoor Championships, Sheffield, 28 Feb – 1 Mar

The highlight on day one came in the under 20 women’s 400m final, with Laviai Nielsen (Frank Adams) improving her time at the top of the world junior rankings with a winning time and championship record of 53.39. The 18-year-old Enfield and Haringey athlete, runner up in the BUCS Championships on the same track the previous weekend, in 53.57, was followed home by sister Lina Nielsen (Frank Adams), who clocked 54.48, with Manx athlete Catherine Reid third in 54.86.

Ojie Edoburun (Jonas Tawiah Dodoo) equalled his PB with a winning time of 6.69 in the under 20 men’s 60m, with Reuben Arthur (Ryan Freckleton) second in 6.76 and Oliver Bromby (Sara MacDonald-Gray) third in 6.79. Edoburun’s training partner Darryl Neita  (Jonas Tawiah Dodoo) was a clear winner of the under 20 women’s 60m, clocking a PB 7.32 ahead of Shannon Malone (Richard Sayer), who was second in 7.47, and Kristie Edwards (Lewis Samuel), third in 7.49. Edwards went on to win the 200m on day two in 24.14.

Also on day one, there was a stand out performance in in the Under 15 girls 800m, Hallamshire’s Tilly Simpson (Steven Marshall) smashing her own age group national record with a time of 2:09.11, lowering the championship record by more than three seconds. Alexandra Shaw (coach: unknown) was not far off the old record with 2:13.32 in second place.

The highlights on day two were provided by Toby Harries (coach: unknown), who sliced 0.05 off Tim Benjamin’s Under 17 UK indoor best with a winning time of 21.46 in the Under 17 boys 200m final, and Adam Hague (Trevor Fox), who won the Under 20 men’s pole vault in 5.30m.

Leeds City’s World Junior Championship  representative Jacob Fincham-Dukes (Matt Barton) won the under 20 long jump in 7.60m, just 1cm shy of his outdoor best, while Tommy Ramdhan  (Ryan Freckleton) won the under 20 men’s 200m in 21.25. In a thrilling under 20 men’s 1500m final, James West (Tonbridge) edged out Robbie Fotzgibbon (Jon Bigg), winning by 3:51.79 to 3:52.24,

In the field, in the women’s under 20 events, Emily Wright (Dan Cossins) reeled off four PBs, winning with 6.03m, while Abigail Roberts (Trevor Fox) took victory in the pole vault with 3.90m

The first three in the under 17 men’s 60m were all under seven seconds, Jona Efoloko (John Smith), winning in 6.85 from Dominic Ashwell (Gavin Town), runner up in 6.88 and Toby Harries (coach: unknown), third in 6.93.

Scot Ben Greenwood (Catriona Helen Tavendale)  smashed the UK under 17 men’s 800m record with a superb 1:56.62

http://resultsengland.athletics-uk.org/

World’s Best 10k, San Juan, Puerto Rico, 1 Mar

European cross country champion Gemma Steel (John Nuttall) returned to action for the first time since her 11th placed finish in the Great Edinburgh Cross Country on 10 January. The 29-year-old Charnwood athlete finished fifth in 32:52. Ethiopian Belaynesh Oljira won the women’s section in 31:57, with Kenya’s Sammy Kitwara taking the men’s title for the fifth time in 31:57.

http://wb10k.allsportcentral.com/results/results.cfm?EventID=57608

Bath Half Marathon, 1 Mar

The indefatigable Paul Martelletti (Nick Anderson) notched his fourth half marathon victory in five weeks. The bearded New Zealand-born runner, who represented Great Britain and Northern Ireland in the IAU 100km World Championship race in Northern Ireland last year, finished 14 seconds clear of Cambridge Harrier Dean Lacy in 1:05:28. Ethiopian Tadele Geremew of Elswick Harriers was third in 1:06:17.

Former British half marathon champion Emma Stepto (Alan Rowley) continued her comeback after injury with a convincing win in the women’s section. The Cornwall AC athlete prevailed in 1:13:50, with Jenny Jagger (Bruce Tulloh) second in 1:15:14 and Rachel Felton (Bruce Tulloh) third in 1:15:21.

Former Olympic marathon runner Mara Yamauchi (Shige Yamauchi), now retired from international competition, finished 92nd overall in 1:17:50 in a race which attracted a record field of 11,693 starters.

http://www.sportsystems.co.uk/ss/results/Vitality%20Bath%20Half%20Marathon/1671

Lotto Cross Cup, Dour, Belgium, 1 Mar

Bristol and West’s Stephanie Barnes (coach: unknown) finished eighth in the senior women’s 4.5km race in 17:18.

http://www.thepowerof10.info/results/results.aspx?meetingid=118564

Big 12 Indoor Championships, Ames, USA, 27-28 Feb

Basildon’s Kaylee Dodd (Coach: Ellie Meadows) finished third in the 800m final, clocking 1:07.67 on the oversized 300m indoor track in Ames, Indiana. The 19-year-old Oklahoma State University student won her heat in 2:11.38.

Two Britons finished fourth in finals – George Caddick (Clyde Hart) in the men’s 400m in 46.94 (the Sale Harrier ran 46.66 in the heats) and  Border Harrier Abbie Hetherington (John Clemetson) in the women’s 1,000m (2:49.19).

Britain’s fastest indoor 200m man of 2015, Sam Watts (Gladys Bird), was fifth in 21.10, while Zac Randall (coach: unknown) was seventh in the 800m final in 1:51.58 (1:51.48 in the heats).  Enfield and Haringey’s Ama Pipi (Jonas Tawiah-Dodoo) finished  eighth in the women’s  400m  final in 54.77 (54.36 in the heats). She also clocked 24.31 in the 200m, heats.

http://www.big12sports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?ATCLID=209530098

Big 10 Indoor Championships, Geneva, USA, 27-28 Feb

Jahisha Thomas (John Vernon) moved to tenth in the UK rankings with a PB leap of 5.97m for sixth place in the women’s long jump.

http://www.bigten.org/sports/m-itrack/spec-rel/100113aaa.html

Sharjah Open International Athletics Meeting – 27-28 February 

Day One 

While many of the GB & NI contingent made their way back to home soil after the IPC Athletics Grand Prix in Dubai, a few of the athletes made the short trip north to compete at the Sharjah Open Meeting. 

Despite strong winds and dusty conditions, there were a number of strong performances on the first day of action. Maria Lyle (coach: Tabo Huntley) extended her winning run in the T35/36/44 100m clocking a wind-assisted 14.53, while Graeme Ballard (Huntley) also showed his consistent start to the season winning the T35/36/38 100m in 11.99 (+4.6). 

Competing against the T53/54 classes in the 400m, Hannah Cockroft (Jenni Banks) showed true grit and determination to finish in fourth overall and first in the T34 category. The Hurricane finished a place ahead of Meggan Dawson-Farrell (Ian Mirfin) and Carly Tait (Rick Hoskins), who finished in seventh. 

Cockroft then went on to win the T33/34/51 100m in a wind-assisted 17.56. Tait finished behind the double Paralympic, World and European Champion, while Kylie Grimes was third but the first T51 to cross the line ahead of Beth Monks.   

Scottish sprinter Lewis Clow also took another GB & NI victory in the T37 100m, while Holly Neil (Andrew Roda) finished in second place behind Tunisia’s Paralympic gold medallist Raoua Tlili in the F40/41 shot put.

Stephen Osborne (Banks) was third and fourth respectively in the T51/52 100m and 400m, with Ben Rowlings (Job King) taking fifth in the T33/34 400m.  

Day Two  

Joanna Butterfield looks in unbeatable form as the European gold medallist broke another world record, this time in the F51-55 discus with a throw of 8.84m. 

Hannah Cockroft  was the first T34 to cross the line in the the combined T34/53/54 200m and 800m. The 21 year old clocked 33.13 and 2:09.96  respectively battling strong crosswinds.  

Maria Lyle continued her fine run of form with a wind-assisted 30.55 in the T35/38 200m, while Holly Neill produced her second best throw of her career in the F41 discus as the World bronze medallist went out to 22.65. 

Bev Jones was the victor in the F12/20/36/37 discus, as the World bronze medallist braved the swirling winds to record a best throw of 25.86m.  

Also making the right steps ahead of this year’s major championships is Graeme Ballard finishing second in the T35/36/38 200m but first in his class as the veteran posted a time of 25.47. 

Ben Rowlings was in personal best form as he took third place in the T34 800m in 1:50.43, with the youngster also placing fourth in the 200m. 

In the combined T51/52 200m, Steve Osborne was fourth and second T51 to finish and Megan Dawson-Farrell was fourth and fifth respectively in the 200m and 800m. 

Results: http://www.team-thomas.org/