08 March 2010

Combined Events International U23/U20, Bompas, FRA, 6-7 March

World youth heptathlon champion Katarina Johnson-Thompson (Liverpool Harriers) won the pentathlon in a lifetime best of 4146. The 17-year-old won the competition by a convincing margin from Alice Lennox (City of Stoke), who finished second in a PB of 3806. Lennox’s club-mate Jazmin Sawyers finished fifth, also in a PB of 3576 while Emma Buckett (Basingstoke & Mid Hants) placed seventh in 3338.

Johnson-Thompson’s marks were 8.85 for 60m hurdles, 1.81m for the high jump, 6.12m for the long jump, 9.90m for the shot put and a solo 2:21.35 in the 800m.

The Liverpool Harrier’s performance also equates to a UK indoor under-20 record and Johnson-Thompson moves to third on the world all-time under-20 lists in this discipline.

Olympian Daniel Awde (Woodford Green with Essex Ladies) comprehensively won the men’s under-23 heptathlon. Awde tallied 5783 to defeat Frenchman Florent Beltram, who finished second with 5187.

Matthew George (Windsor, Slough, Eton & Hounslow) took fourth with 5071, John Lane (City of Sheffield) finished fifth with 4946 but Robert Kite (Basingstoke & Mid Hants) withdrew after three events.

In the under-20 heptathlon, David Guest took the scalp of world youth champion Kevin Mayer to emphatically win the competition. Guest scored 5793 to defeat the Frenchman, who was second with 5668. Ashley Bryant took fourth with a score of 5381, Sebastian Rodger finished sixth with 5137 while John McCafferty was eighth with 5077.

In the under-23 pentathlon, Jessica Taylor took second with 3812, Caryl Granville finished third with 3789 and Karla Drew finished fourth with 3656. Joanna Rowland placed eighth with 3002.

These results ensured the British team prevailed over the home nation.

Pole Vault Stars Meeting, Donetsk, UKR, March 6

AFTER tying with European indoor champion Renaud Lavillenie in his previous competition in Paris, UK No.1 Steve Lewis (Newham & Essex Beagles) had another very good performance in his final competition before the World Indoor Championships. The five-time UK indoor champion cleared a season’s best of 5.72m to finish second behind Pawel Czerwinski from Poland, who cleared a lifetime best of 5.82m.

In the women’s competition, Kate Dennison (Sale Harriers) finished eighth with a clearance of 4.50m in a competition which was won by Russian superstar Yelena Isinbayeva, who won at this venue for the seventh successive year. The two-time Olympic champion cleared 4.85m before three unsuccessful attempts at 5.01m.

England U17 & U15 Combined Event Championships, Sheffield, 6-7 March

Blade Ashby (Herne Hill Harriers) won the under-17 heptathlon with a score of 4612 from Tadgh Healy (Tonbridge AC), second with 4239, while Aled Price (Carmarthen Harriers) took the under-15 pentathlon with a tally of 2708.

Hayley McLean (Chelmsford) won the under-17 pentathlon with 3291 while Morgan Lake (Windsor Slough Eton & Hounslow) took the under-15 pentathlon with 3379.

Reebok Manchester Open Meeting, Manchester, 7 March

Bernice Wilson won the 60m in 7.42. Veteran Darren Scott won the 300m in 34.95.

Trafford 10km, Partington, 7 March

Chris Thompson (Aldershot Farnham & District) set a huge lifetime best to take a commanding gun-to-tape win. The 28-year-old clocked 28:02, to improve his lifetime best by 43 seconds. Ireland’s Sean Connelly and Ben Fish (Blackburn Harriers) were second and third in 29:38 and 29:51 respectively.

Nike Milton Keynes Half Marathon, 7 March

Neil Addison (Shaftesbury Barnet) won the men’s half-marathon in 1:08:54 while Diana Lobacevske (Beaumont) triumphed in the women’s race in 1:16:55.

Edinburgh parkrun 5km 6 March

Robert Inglis (Lothian RC) won the men’s 5km in 16:11 while 18-year-old Sarah Inglis (Lothian RC) took the women’s race in 16:37. Ian Stewart (Carnegie Harriers) took third and was the first veteran home in 16:38.

Newcastle parkrun 5K, 6 March

Justina Heslop (Clapham Chasers) was the first finisher in a PB of 16:32, which was more than two minutes faster than the first male.

Counties Athletic Union (CAU) National 10 km Race Walk Championships & Molly Barnet Open Meeting, Coventry, 6th March

Jo Jackson (Redcar) removed a minute from her previous National Record over 10km at the CAU Inter Counties Championships at the University of Warwick on Saturday. Jackson broke her own UK record for 10km by exactly one minute, recording a World Class 43:52, which sets her up nicely for the defence of her title at the EAA Grand Prix 20 km in Lugano, Switzerland this coming weekend. 

Jackson put the improvement down to her decision to relocate to the the UKA National Race Walking Centre at Leeds met Carnegie, where she is studying for a degree in Sports Performance. "This has enabled me to train regularly with other athletes as opposed to on my own and have also benefited from the environment at Carnegie and the medical and support services that are available on Campus". Other athletes based at the Carnegie Centre also produced a string of personal bests. The race was won by Irishman Brendan Boyce (Leeds Met Carnegie/Coventry Godiva) in a new personal best of 41.50. Just in front of Jackson, Alex Wright (Leeds Met Carnegie/Belgarve) was 2nd in 43.31 and Tom Bosworth (Leeds Met Carnegie/Tonbridge) was piped by another Irishman Michael Doyle for 4th in 43.37. Wright and Bosworth are back into hard training in preparation for the UKA/RWA National 20 km Championships and Commonwealth Games Trials in April.

There were also personal best performances for athletes who are supported by the Futures Training Group programme that operates with a training camp series at Carnegie: Under 20 Men 10 km 1st Antonio Cirillo (47:53, Swansea) and 3rd Jonathon Hobbs (51:03, Ashford)  and Heather Lewis (Pembroke,) who won the U 17 5 k min 25:36

Alex Wilson Invitational, South Bend IN, USA, 5-6 March

Matthew Graham (Kirkintilloch) finished 18th in the 5000m in 14:28.31, which equates to a lifetime best for the 19-year-old DePaul University student.

Meeting Pas de Calais, Lieven, FRA, 5 March

Harry Aikines-Aryeetey (Sutton & District) finalised his preparations for the World Indoor Championships with a morale-boosting performance in the 60m. The UK indoor silver medallist clocked 6.58 but the former world youth and junior champion was narrowly defeated by Frenchman Christophe Lemaitre, who was given the victory after a photo finish.

Ryan Moseley (Shaftesbury Barnet/Austria) took sixth in 6.68.

UK indoor champion Joice Maduaka finished seventh in the 60m in 7.40 while Bernice Wilson, fresh from a PB of 7.26 from the McCain City Challenge, was eighth in 7.45. Maduaka also clocked 7.44 in the heats and Wilson ran 7.46 to qualify for the final.

Rabah Yousif (Newham & Essex Beagles/Sudan) finished third in the rarely-run 300m in a PB of 33.04 to finish behind home favourite Leslie Djhone from France, who set a European indoor record of 32.47.

Columbia Last Chance, New York NY, 5 March

In the mile, Leonie Smith (Aldershot Farnham & District) placed eighth in a pb of 4:44.80.

Europa SC High Jump Meeting, Banska Bystrica, SVK 4 March
In the men’s high jump Samson Oni (Belgrave) continued his brilliant form with a second place in a lifetime best of 2.31m behind the world-leading leap of 2.38m by Ivan Uhkov (Russia).

IAAF World Challenge Meeting, Melbourne, AUS 4 March

Andy Baddeley (Harrow) won the 5000m in a life-time best of 13:20.85 which betters the time he did one year ago at the same track by just over 14/100ths of a second, pulling away from Joanathan Komen (Kenya) and Collis Birmingham (Australia) over the final two laps. Mark Draper (Bedord & County) finished in eighth place recording 13:55.03 and one place behind was Russell Dessaix-Chin (Belgrave) 14:09.86. In the 400m hurdles Daniel Brandwood (Sale Harriers Manchester) finished in third place with a huge pb of 50.83.

Aviva Ulster Schools Cross Country Championships, Mallusk 3 March

The Minor Girls event was won by Olivia Diamond (Beechmount) in a time of 6:20 with the Minor Boys event going to Conor McCann (St. Malachy’s) with a time of 6:00. In the Junior Girls race Yasmin Wilson (Lagan Valley) took the victory recording 8:58 with Tom Magee (Lagan Valley) taking the Junior Boys event in 10:51. Emma Mitchell (Banbridge) took the Inter Girls title covering the course in 11:30 while Andrew Monaghan (Lagan Valley) took the Inter Boys title in 15:08. The Senior Girls title was won by Ciara Mageean (City of Lisburn) 8:38 and Stephen Kerr (Armagh) took the Senior Boys title (no time recorded).