7 September 2009

AS the season draws to an end there is no let up in the number of competitions and top quality performances both at home and overseas.

The following are the selected results:

Overseas

Rieti Meeting, Rieti, Italy. 6 September
In the men’s events Simeon Williamson (Highgate) finished in third place in the 100m 10.18 (-1.5), with Harry Aikines-Aryeetey (Sutton) fourth 10.21 and Tyrone Edgar (Newham & Essex Beagles) 10.36 seventh (10.35 heat -0.5) in a race won by Asafa Powell (Jamaica) 9.99. Marlon Devonish (Coventry) finished in fourth place in the 200m 20.62 (-0.9) behind winner Wallace Spearmon (USA) 20.27. The 400m saw success for Robert Tobin (Basingstoke & Mid Hants) winning in 45.30, with Martyn Rooney (Croydon) fifth 45.71. Also in the race was Rabah Yousif (Newham & Essex Beagles) who finished fourth 45.64. Michael Rimmer (Liverpool Pembroke Sefton) finished runner-up in the ‘B’ 800m in 1:46.83 with Joe Thomas (Cardiff) eighth 1:48.46. The ‘A’ race was notable with the first three being under 1:43 and winner David Rushida (Kenya) recording 1:42.01. The 1500m saw Andy Baddeley (Harrow) finish in sixth place 3:35.07 just one place ahead of Tom Lancashire (Bolton) 3:35.19. The 110mH saw Andy Turner (Sale Harriers Manchester) coming back from injury and finishing in fifth place 13.62 (-1.3) and in the field, Steven Lewis (Newham & Essex Beagles) also finished in fifth with 5.37m.

In the women’s events Emily Freeman (Wakefield) finished in fourth in an excellent 22.94 (-2.0) in a race won by Kerron Stewart (Jamaica) 22,62. The 1500m had three British athletes competing and Lisa Dobriskey (Ashford) showed that perhaps the World Championships came a couple of weeks too soon for her with another world-class performance winning in 4:01.23 from World champion Maryam Yusuf Jamal (Bahrain) by just 6/100ths. Charlene Thomas (Wakefield) showed a welcome return to form after her lost shoe mishap in Berlin with a sixth place 4:05.39 just ahead of Hannah England (Oxford) 4:06.00. In the 3000m Laura Kenney (Royal Sutton Coalfield) continued her good late season form with sixth place in a life-time best of 8:51.33 and Barbara Parker (City of Norwich) fifteenth 9:15.99 in a race won by Sylvia Kibet (Kenya) 8:43.97.

Atletický most, Dubnica ned Váhom, Slovakia. 6 September

A small British contingent were competing and in the men’s events, Jeffrey Lawal-Balogun (Kent) finished in third place in the ‘A’ 100m 10.30 (0.4) and the 200m 20.93 (-0.4). Leon Baptiste (Enfield & Haringey) was runner-up in the ‘B’ 100m 10.66 (0.4) and first in the ‘B’ 200m 21.16 (-0.1) with Chris Clarke (Marshall Milton Keynes) runner-up 21.25. In the ‘B’ 400mH Rhys Williams (Swansea) finished in first place with 50.03 and clearly should have been in the ‘A’ race where he would have placed at least third. Samson Oni (Belgrave) finished in fourth place in the high jump with 2.20m. The sole British female was Sarah Claxton (Woodford Green with Essex Ladies) who finished in fourth place in the 100mH 13.10 behind Dawn Harper (USA) 12.57.

IAAF 25^th World Mountain Running Championship, Madessimo, Italy. 6 September

The Great Britain women’s team claimed the silver medals in the team event in this uphill and downhill event held at 1750m above sea level on a course that included grassy and rocky terrain. The team of Sarah Tunstall (Kendal) fourth; Katie Ingram (Horwich) seventh and Kate Goodhead (Stroud) 11th were the team’s scorer’s and Mary Wilkinson (Bingley) 14th finished behind winners Italy who scored a clean sweep of the individual medals and ahead of the USA. The Junior men’s team claimed third place behind Turkey and Italy.

Memorial Van Damme, IAAF Golden League, Brussels, Belgium. 4 September

IN the men’s 100m Simeon Williamson (Highgate) finished eighth in 10.21 (-0.4) behind winner Asafa Powell (Jamaica) 9.90 and Tyson Gay (USA) 10.00. Michael Bingham (Wake Forest University) finished in third place in the 400m with 45.70 and Martyn Rooney (Croydon) two places further behind in fifth place with 45.83 in a race won by Jeremy Wariner (USA) in 44.94. Will Sharman (Belgrave) finished in fourth place in the 110mH in 13.39 (-1.3) confirming his new found consistency in a race won by world champion Ryan Brathwaite (Barbados) 13.30. Mo Farah (Newham & Essex Beagles) finished in 13^th place in the 5000m in 13:22.33 behind the great Kenenisa Bekele (Ethiopia) 12:55.31. In the unusual 4x1500m the Team England quartet of Nick McCormick (Morpeth 3:44.7), Andy Baddeley (Harrow 3:39.0), Ricky Stevenson (New Marske 3:43.3) and Mark Draper (Bedord & County 3:47.6) broke the 30-year-old UK record finishing in fifth place with 14:54.57 behind Kenya, William Biwott (3:38.5), Gideon Gathimba (3:39.5), Geoffrey Rono (3:41.4), Augustine Choge (3:36.9) who set a new world record of 14:36.23.

In the women’s events Christine Ohuruogu (Newham & Essex Beagles) finished in second place 50.43 with Nicola Sanders (Windsor, Slough, Eton & Hounslow) in eighth place with 51.38 behind the outstanding winner, Sanya Richards (USA) 48.83. The 800m had two British athletes in the field and Jemma Simpson (Newquay & Par) finished in a fine second place in 1:59.40 behind Anna Willard (USA) 1:59.14 while Marilyn Okoro (Shaftesbury Barnet) finished in eighth place with 2:01.68. Kate Dennison (Sale Harriers Manchester) finished in sixth place in the pole vault with 4.50m behind world record holder Elena Isinbaeva (Russia) 4.70m.

Palio Città della Quercia, Rovereto, Italy. 1 September

Emma Ania (Shaftesbury Barnet) ran a swift 11.21 for third place in the 100m with an illegal wind reading (2.8) and a legal 11.40 (-1.0) in her heat where she also finished in third place. In the 800m Emma Jackson (City of Stoke U23) finished in fifth place in 2:02.69 which was close to her season’s best of 2:02.09 and in the 3000m Barbara Parker (Norwich) finished in sixth place in 9:02.92 which was her fastest outdoor time and close to her pb of 9:00.20 set indoors in Boston, USA earlier in the year.

Home

adidas Women’s 5k Challenge, Hyde Park, London. 6 September

It was an African clean sweep in the adidas Women’s 5k Challenge held in Hyde Park, London with World 5000m champion Vivian Cheruiyot from Kenya outsprinting her teammate Linet Masai 15:12 and Ethiopia’s Aberu Kebede 15:13 in the last 200m in a time of 15:11. With more than 17,000 other women starting on a warm and still Sunday, the first British runner was Justina Heslop (Clapham Chasers) 16:06 in 8^th place with Hannah Whitmore (Charnwood) 16:34 in 10^th place. A surprise competitor was World Championship 800m athlete, Marilyn Okoro down in 37^th place in a creditable 19:41.

UK School Games, Cardiff. 6 September [Day 2]

The winners on Day Two (club names and not regions) were as follows :

Boys

Ambulant 100m – Jonathan Peacock (Unattached T44) 12.85. 200m – Liam Clowes (Crew & Nantwich) 21.97 (-1.7). Ambulant 200m – James Ledger (Swansea T12) 26.20. Wheelchair 200m – Daniel Lucker (Federation of Disability Sport Wales T54) 29.97. 400m – Greg Louden (Lasswade) 48.29. 800m – Adam Ingram (Lagan Valley) 1:55.20. Wheelchair 800m – Daniel Lucker (Federation of Disability Sport Wales T54) 2:04.23. 100mH – Themba Luhana (Rugby & Northampton 13.48. 400mH – Ben Parkin (Blackheath & Bromley) 54.52. Long Jump – Elliot Safo (Croydon) 6.93m (2.1). Pole Vault – Jax Thoirs (Victoria Park City of Glasgow) 4.35m. Shot – Matt Halton (Newquay & Par) 16.56m. Ambulant Shot – Jonathan Adams (Ipswich F35) 11.88. Javelin – Sam Taylor- Outridge (Marshall Milton Keynes) 66.93m (pb).

Girls

Ambulant 100m – Beth Woodward (Tea Southampton T37) 16.21 (-1.5). 200m – Jennie Batten (Stroud) 24.06 (-1.0). Wheelchair 200m – Colette Martin (Red Star T54) 39.07 (-1.5). Ambulant 200m – Beth Woodward (Team Southampton T37) 34.08 (-1.4). 300m – Joanna Mills (Ballymena & Antrim) 39.16. Wheelchair 800m – Colette Martin (Red Star T54) 2:44.39. 80mH – Georgia Atkins (Chelmsford) 11.65 (-3.3). 300mH – Laura Burke (Windsor, Slough, Eton & Hounslow) 44.02m. Long Jump – Natasha Lewis (Cwmbran) 5.66m (1.6). Hammer – Abbi Carter (Hull Achilles) 51.62m. Discus – Sam Milner (West Suffolk) 40.27m. Seated Shot – Laura Swetman (Wales F32) 4.91m.

5 September [Day 1]

The winners on Day One (club names and not regions) were as follows :

Boys

100m – David Bolarinwa (Cambridge) 10.95 (-1.4). 1500m – Liam White (Hercules Wimbldon) 4:00.84. 3000m – Richard Goodman (Shaftesbury Barnet) 8:34.97 (pb). 1500m Steeplechase – Zak Seddon (Bracknell) 4:16.84 (equal pb). Ambulant Discus – Jonathan Adams (Ipswich F35) 34.94m. Seated Discus – Ieuan Coombes (Wales F32) 9.11m. High Jump – Billy Falconer (Woodford Green with Essex Ladies) 1.93m. Discus – Liam Biddlecombe (Yeovil) 53.04m. Triple Jump – Julian Allwood (Herne Hill) 14.47m. Hammer – Andrew Elkins (Shaftesbury Barnet) 63.57m.

Girls

100m – Rachel Johncock (Colwyn Bay) 12.31 (-1.5). 1500m – Georgia Peel (Aldershot, Farnham & District) 4:21.99. 3000m – Emelia Gorecka (Aldershot Farnham & District) 9:46.25. High Jump – Isobel Pooley (Aldershot, Farnham & District) 1.75m. Javelin – Freya Jones (Team Southampton) 45.56m. Ambulant Discus – Hollie Arnold (Cleethorpes F46) 26.44m. Seated Discus – Laura Swetman (Wales F32) 5.75m. Triple Jump – Montana Jackson (West Suffolk) 11.81m (2.5). Shot – Yasmin Spencer (Chesterfield) 12.37m. Pole Vault – Rebecca Davies (Deeside) 3.60m.

Bank of Scotland Hammerama Grangemouth. 5 September

Mark Dry (Woodford Green with Essex Ladies) won the hammer with a throw of 70.31m which was just 50cm short of his lifetime best while Susan McKelvie (Edinburgh) threw 61.33m which was agonisingly 11cm short of her season’s best. Myra Perkins (Falkirk U20) threw a solid 52.74m while Kimberley Reed (Edinburgh U15) also threw a respectable 43.29m.

McCain UK Race Walking Challenge Final and Carnegie International Challenge, Leeds. 3 September

Despite the atrocious weather conditions and gale force winds that lashed most of the country on Thursday, Ireland’s Colin Griffin put the disappointment of the world Championships in Berlin behind him and produced an outstanding display of walking to take first place in the McCain UK Race Walking Challenge Final and Carnegie International Challenge. Colin passed the first kilometre in just under 4 minutes and maintained this pace until the 4km point when the conditions and receiving a second card from the judges forced him to slow in the last kilometre coming home in 20:09.8 a new track record. Behind him his compatriot Brendan Boyce (Coventry) made it an Irish one-two as he clocked a new personal best of 21:16.2. In a close battle for third Jaques Van Bremman of Holland got the better of Dominic and Daniel King (Colchester) in fourth and fifth respectively with Alex Wright (Belgrave U20) just behind in sixth place with 23:09.5.

The Women’s race saw an easy victory for Jo Jackson (Middlesbrough & Cleveland AC) of England who clocked 22:33.4 in wrapping up the UK Race Walking Challenge Final and put behind her the disappointment of disqualification in Berlin. Her time represented a new track record on what in a few weeks time will become her home track when she starts a degree in Sports Performance as a Carnegie Scholar. The event was proceeded by a symposium on race walking at the BASES conference which was led by the Carnegie Director of Race Waking and head of the UK National Race Walking Centre Dr Andi Drake. The event attracted speakers from Italy and Japan.

Trafford Grand Prix, Stretford, Manchester. 1 September

Charlene Thomas (Wakefield) finished in seventh place in a men’s heat of the 800m in a time of 2:02.15 which was just outside her lifetime best of 2:01.87 set at Watford in June. Emily Pidgeon (Stroud) ran in the men’s 3000m and also finished in seventh place in 9:08.89 which surpassed her season’s best of 9:16.92 and was close to her lifetime best of 9:06.87.