20 April 2015

NTC Pure Athletics Sprint Elite Meet in Clermont, Florida, 18 April

It was a day when the sizeable British contingent cranking through the early-season gears in the Florida city of Clermont were in truly great form. There were strong starts to the from Tiffany Porter (Rana Reider), Shara Proctor (Reider), Lucy Hatton (Jerzy Maciukiewicz), Dan Bramble (Frank Attoh) and many more, across the pond.

Bramble, who won the long jump title at the Sainsbury’s Indoor British Championships in Sheffield in February, took a quantum leap into world class territory with a 30cm improvement on his former lifetime best of 7.91m. The 24-year-old Shaftesbury Barnet Harrier produced a stunning fifth round jump of 8.21m to propel himself from joint 23rd in the UK all-time list to fifth. The following wind was 1.8m per second, inside the ‘legal’ limit.

Bramble took some notable scalps, too, 2013 World Championship silver medallist Ignisious Gaisah of the Netherlands finishing runner up with 8.19m and Olympic triple jump champion Christian Taylor of the USA third with 8.18m.

Porter, the reigning European 100m hurdles champion, knocked Olympic champion Sally Pearson off top spot in the 2015 world rankings in her specialist event,  speeding to victory in 12.56. Porter, who won her heat in 12.67, was followed home by the burgeoning Hatton in 12.84. It was a second lifetime best of the day for the Corby athlete, who started with a PB of 13.20 and knocked a huge chunk from that with 12.93 in the heats.

Serita Solomon (Lloyd Cowan) finished runner up in a separate final in 12.69 with the wind gauge touching 2.6m per second.

Proctor leapt to 6.77m which put the 2012 world indoor bronze medallist top of the 2015 world rankings. Christabel Nettey of Canada jumped 6.98m in the second round at the Mount Sac meet but the wind gauge was not working in the first half of that competition.

There was a winning return to 400m hurdles action by Jack Green (Loren Seagrave). Competing in his specialist event for the first time since July 2013, the 2012 Olympic semi-finalist was a clear victor in 50.23.

James Ellington (Reider) was also in fine form clocking 20.49 for third place behind Carvin Nkanata, who won in 20.14 and American Isiah Young (20.33). The wind was inside the limit at + 1.9 but was over at +2.3 when Ellington clocked 10.10 in the 100m.

On the women’s side, reigning European 100m and 200m champion Dafne Schippers of the Netherlands clocked a scorching 10.90 over 100m but with the aid of a 3.9m per second wind.  In the same race, Margaret Adeoye (Linford Christie) ran a wind assisted 11.39.

Similarly, in various men’s 100m heats there were wind assisted marks of 10.10 (+2.3) by Ellington, 10.22 (+3.3) and 10.26 (+3.2) by Roy Ejakuekwu (Reider) and 10.38 (+4.6) by Mark Lewis-Francis (Tony Hadley).

However, there were also the five fastest legal 100m of the year by Britons: a 10.27 PB by Kieran Showler-Davis (John Davis), 10.33 by Sean Safo-Antwi (Jonas Tawiah-Dodoo), a 10.51 PB by Danish Walker-Khan (Christie), 10.55 by Nigel Levine (Christie) and a 10.56 career best for Imran Rahman (Hadley). At 200m, there were windy marks of 20.78 by Ejakuekwu (+3.5) and 20.96 by Levine (+3.6).

Victoria Ohuruogu (Chris Zah) won the women’s 400m in 53.86 with European 800m silver medallist Lynsey Sharp (Reider) opening her season with 55.16 in fourth place. In the men’s 400m races, Daniel Awde (Zah) ran 46.20, Rabah Yousif (Carol Williams) 46.24, Andrew Steele (Zah) 47.17 and Dwayne Cowan (Lloyd Cowan) 47.67. Gianni Frankis (Tony Jarrett) clocked a wind assisted 13.77 in the 100m hurdles.

Paralympic 200m silver medallist Bethany Woodward (Lee Doran) won the Masters T37 200m in a wind-assisted 29.65 and the 100m in 14.37.

http://elitetiming.net/live-results/2015/20150418-pure/#tabs1-2

Mt SAC Relays, Walnut, California, 16-18 April

Marilyn Okoro (Johnny Gray) clocked the fastest outdoor 800m time by a Briton thus far in 2015. The 30-year-old Shaftesbury Barnet Harrier finished third in 2:02.35. In separate two lap races, Kaylee Dodds (Ellie Meadows) clocked 2:08.28 and Rosie Chamberlain (Gray) 2:11.66.

Shante Little (Stuart McMillan) also posted a 2015 UK lead in the 400m hurdles, finishing third in 58.49, while there was a fine lifetime best performance by Ipswich’s Nick Miller (Justin St Claire) in the javelin. The two-time English schools’ champion won with a throw of 72.33m.

European junior 3,000m steeplechase champion Zac Seddon improved his 1500m PB to 3:42.02, finishing sixth in the main race. In separate metric mile races, Marcus Bridger-Wilkinson (Karen Yewer) recorded 3:44.66 and Patrick Monaghan 3:49.38.

35-year-old Carl Myerscough (self-coached) was fifth in the discus with 57.46m. Elsewhere in the field events, Jax Thoirs (Pat Licari) was fifth in the pole vault with 5.35m and James McLachlan (Denis Costello) third in the long jump with 7.77m.

http://www.thepowerof10.info/results/results.aspx?meetingid=136305

Alan Bertram Spring Memorial Open, Loughborough, 19 April

Scotland’s Commonwealth hammer bronze medallist Mark Dry claimed third spot in the 2015 UK rankings with a winning throw of 71.96m. Abbie Carter (Dave Smith) won the women’s competition with 56.21m.

Taylor Campbell (Dickenson) threw a European junior championships qualifying standard in the hammer at the Paula Radcliffe Stadium. His throw of 72.75 was a seasons best and was enough to win the men’s U20 competition.

http://www.thepowerof10.info/results/results.aspx?meetingid=133998

B.A.A. Invitational Mile, Boston, USA, 18 April

The European indoor and outdoor 1500m bronze medallist Chris O’Hare (Terrence Mahon) had tough opposition in the shape of Ethiopia’s Dejen Gebremeskel in the three-lap road mile held two days before the annual Boston Marathon. Gebremeskel forced the pace from the off and finished a decisive winner in 4:04.1.

O’Hare was on the heels of the Ethiopian for the opening lap but faded to second in 4:07.0 with Frezer Legesse of the US third in 4:08.1. “I’m a little bit disappointed in the way I executed the race,” said O’Hare. “I think I would have done better if I’d sat back on the opening lap but Dejen is a class act.”

http://www.baa.org/races/invitational-mile/results-and-commentary.aspx

Morrisons Great Edinburgh Run ten mile road race, 19 April

Andrew Lemoncello (Greg McMillan) had to be content with the runners-up spot, behind Ethiopia’s Tsedat Abege Ayana in his first race in Scotland since finishing 12th in the Commonwealth Games 10,000m final in August last year. In wet and windy conditions, Ayana  pulled away on a sharp incline around the halfway mark and crossed the finish line in Holyrood Park in 48:44, with Lemoncello second in 50:02.

Lemoncello was happy with what was only his second competitive outing since taking a three month break at the end of last year because of a groin problem.“It was a lot better than last week,” said the 32-year-old Arizona-based Scot, who finished fifth in the BM 10km road race in Brighton seven days previously. “Last week got my legs going a wee bit and I felt a lot stronger over the longer distance today.”

The women’s race was a closer affair but the outcome was never seriously in doubt after Jess Coulson (Mick Woods) pulled clear of Scot Rhona Auckland (Joyce Hogg) and Ireland’s Maria McCambridge just before the halfway mark.

Coulson showed the ten mile pedigree that earned her a runners-up spot behind Jo Pavey in the 2012 Great South Run, winning in 56:06. Auckland, the Banchory Stonehaven athlete who won the European Under 23 cross country title in December, finished second in 56: 12, with McCambridge third in 56:29. 

The event incorporated a team relay competition, with the opening leg runner completing a very hilly 4.25 miles and the second leg runner a less severely undulating 4.75 miles

Brothers Derek Hawkins (Robert Hawkins) and Callum Hawkins (Hawkins) of Kilbarchin AAC teamed up to provide an all-Scottish duo and they finished runners-up in 48:37.

The women’s race was won in 56:07 by the Scottish-Anglo duo of Susan Partridge (Steve Jones) and Helen Clitheroe (self-coached).

http://www.greatrun.org/Results/full-search

ASICS Greater Manchester Marathon, 19 April

Prolific half marathon racer Paul Martelletti (Nick Anderson) was a convincing winner over the full marathon distance, clocking a UK 2015 lead of 2:17:44. Aldershot’s Georgie Brunivels (Mick Woods) won the women’s race in 2:37.16.

http://www.stuweb.co.uk/race/Rt

Michael Johnson Classic, Waco, Texas, 18 April

George Caddick (Clyde Hart) set a personal best in the 400m recording 46.10. Other notable results saw Aisha Naibe-Wey (Marina Armstrong) win in the 400m hurdles in 57.89 and Montene Speight (Devin West) triumphant with a lifetime best of 52.21 in the 400m.

http://results.deltatiming.com/tf/2015-michael-johnson-classic#.VTOADmB0zIU

Virginia Challenge, Charlottesville, USA, 17-18 April

European indoor 1500m finalist Rosie Clarke (Thomas Watson) set a career best in the 1500m running 4:12.10 for third place.

http://www.virginiasports.com/sports/c-xctrack/stats/2014-2015/resultsday2.html

British Athletics/Race Walking Association 20km Championships and Younger Age Group Championships, Hillingdon Cycle Circuit, Hillingdon, 18 March

Tom Bosworth (Andi Drake) cruised to his fourth National 20km title on a testing and windy circuit at Hillingdon in a time of 89:16. 2012 Olympian Dominic King (George Nibre) took the silver in a season’s best of 99:26 with Richard Gerrard in 3rd in 1:47.31.

In the women’s 20km both Heather Lewis (Martin Bell) came home in first place in 1:43.36. Emma Achurch (Steve Arnold) who has had some big breakthrough performances this year over 10km this year made her debut over 20km, finished in second with a new British Junior Record of 1:45.29 which took over four minutes off Ellie Dooley’s mark from last year.

In the junior men’s 10km, Callum Wilkinson (Mick Graham) backed up his fine 44:15 clocking in Poderbardy last weekend with a fine victory in 45:03. Cameron Corbishley (Chris Hobbs) was second in 45:36.