8 June 2009

British athletes abroad …

European Cup 10,000m, Madeira

The Aviva Great Britain & Northern Ireland team took home a team silver from Saturday’s European Cup 10,000m in Ribeira Brava, Madeira. The women’s team of Claire Hallissey (Bristol & West), Hatti Dean (Hallamshire Harriers) and Gemma Miles (Kendal) took silver behind hosts Portugal.

Hallissey was the leading Brit, slashing her PB by 50 seconds to 33:17.13 to finish 9th in a race won by Ines Monteiro (Portugal) in 31:34.17. Dean was 11th in 33:35.17 and Miles was 15th in 33:55.17.  In the men’s race, Phil Wicks (Belgrave Harriers) was 20th in 29:10.66, whilst the other GB & NI representative Phil Nicholls (Tipton Harriers) withdrew at around the 7k mark suffering from calf problems.

55th Janusz Kusocinski Memorial in Warsaw, Poland 7 June 2009

Stephanie Twell obliterated her lifetime best over 1500m in Warsaw with 4:03.62 which moves the world junior champion to second on the UK U23 all-time lists behind Zola Budd’s 4:01.93 from 1986. The three-time European junior cross-country champion defeated a strong field including the former Olympic fourth placer Natalya Yevdokimova from Russia, who was second in 4:04.44 with former European indoor 1500m champion Lidia Chojecka from Poland in fifth with 4:06.52. Another outstanding performance came from Charlene Thomas (Wakefield) who also set a lifetime best of 4:05.06, which was also under the A standard for the World Championships in Berlin this summer.

William Sharman (Belgrace Harriers) finished in second place in the 110mH with 13.57. Samson Oni (Belgrave Harriers) was third in the high jump with 2.20m. Nathan Morgan (Birchfield Harriers) was seventh in the long jump with 7.43m.

Prefontaine Classic, Eugene, Oregon, USA 7 June 2009

Germaine Mason (Birchfield Harriers) finished down in eighth place in the high jump with 2.21m in a competition won by Ivan Ukhov, Russia with 2.34m. Jemma Simpson (Newquay & Par) ran well to finish in third place in the 800m with 2:01.10.

12th Meeting International d’Arles, France 6 and 7 June 2009

There were three British athletes in the decathlon at the french competition: Roger Skedd (City of Sheffield) finished in fourth place with 7272 points, Richard Reeks (Bournemouth), on 6937 points finished in eighth and Robin Smith (City of Stoke) recorded 6075 points in 12th place.

 
Athletica Genève EAP Meeting, Geneva, Switzerland 6 June 2009

The Athletica Genève EAP Meeting in Geneva saw a large British contingent competing and the pick of the performances were as follows. In the 100m James Dasaolu (Croydon Harriers) won in 10.09 from Harry Aikines-Aryeetey (Sutton) 10.17 with Craig Pickering (Milton Keynes) 10.31 in third and Mark Lewis-Francis (Birchfield) 10.59 eighth, which was an improvement on his season’s best. Leon Baptiste (Enfield &Haringey) won the second international race 10.52 with Tim Abeyie (Woodford Green & Essex Ladies) clocking 10.73 while Jeffrey Lawal-Balogun (Kent) took his race in a PB of 10.36. Dasaolu’s time was another lifetime best and he became the third British athlete to run under 10.1 this season and it was his third A standard for the World Championships in Berlin.

In the 200m Marlon Devonish (Coventry Godiva) won in 20.60 with Leon Baptiste (Enfield & Haringey) taking third in 20.92 and Christian Malcolm (Cardiff) trailing home in 21.21. In the other 200m Rikki Fifton (Victoria Park & Tower Hamlets) won in 20.46 which was a PB and an A standard for the World Championships which was his second in five days after his PB of 20.58 in Dessau, Germany. Simeon Williamson (Highgate Harriers) set a PB of 21.25 in fifth place.

In the 400m Conrad Williams (Kent) finished second with a PB of 45.70 with Robert Tobin (Baisingstoke & Mid Hants) third in 46.29, Richard Strachan (Trafford) fourth in 46.37 and Richard Buck (York) sixth in 46.70. In the other 400m Graham Hedman (Woodford Green & Essex Ladies) finished second in 46.61, Chris Clarke (Marshall Milton Keynes, U20) third in 46.91, Nick Leavey (Woodford Green & Essex Ladies) seventh in 47.66 and Dale Garland (Birchfield Harriers) eighth in 47.68.

In the 400mH Dale Garland (Birchfield Harriers) finished third in 51.19 and Lloyd Gumbs (Shaftesbury Barnett) fourth in 51.82. Nathan Douglas (Oxford City) won the triple jump with 16.52.

In the 4x100m relay the two Great Britain teams finished in first and second places. The winning team consisted of James Dasaolu, Craig Pickering, Rikki Fifton and Harry Aikines-Aryeety with a time of 38.55. The runners-up team was made up of Christian Malcolm, Tyrone Edgar, Marlon Devonish and Simeon Williamson Simeon with a time of 38.83.

In the women’ s events, 18-year-old Ashlee Nelson (Stoke) upstaged her team-mates in the 100m, taking victory in 11.43, defeating Laura Turner (Harrow) 11.45, while the UK record-holder Montell Douglas (Blackheath & Bromley) was a distant fifth 11.67. Emily Freeman (Wakefield) won the 200m in 23.09 with Donna Fraser (Croydon, V35) third in 23.71, Kadi-Ann Thomas (Marshall Milton Keynes) fourth in 23.80 and Nicola Sanders (Winsor Slough Eton & Hounslow) fifth in 23.89. 

In the 400m Lee McConnell (Shaftesbury Barnett) continued her good form with victory in 51.98 from 800m specialist Marilyn Okoro (Shaftesbury Barnett) 52.88 and Donna Fraser 53.17 (Croydon). In the 400mH there was a fine victory by Perri Drayton-Shakes (Victoria Park & Tower Hamlets) with 57.01 and Justine Kinney (Winsor Slough Eton & Hounslow) finishing fourth in a PB of 57.51.

In the 4x100m relay the Great Britain squad brought the baton home in first place in 43.33 with the team consisting of Laura Turner, Kadi-Ann Thomas, Emily Freeman and Ashlee Nelson. 

Florø Athletics Festival, Florø, Norway 6 June 2009

IN Norway, Sarah Claxton (Woodford Green & Essex Ladies) finished runner-up in 13.46 in her specialist event, the 100mh.

Long Jump Meeting, Bad Langensalza, Germany 6 June 2009

Jumping in Germany after competing mid-week in Italy, Chris Tomlinson (Newham & Essex Beagles) leapt to a windy 8.10m (2.1) but had to settle for second place with a legal 7.94m.

Memorial Primo Nebiolo in Turin, 4 June 2009

Phillips Idowu, Chris Tomlinson and Tim Benjamin notched up good wins at the Memorial Primo Nebiolo in Turin on Thursday.

Idowu jumped an impressive 17.60m to take the triple jump and told the IAAF: “I did the same performance earlier in the week, but it was wind-assisted and today the run-up was not right because the track was too quick. This year my focus is to keep jumping consistently and hopefully improving on last year’s result from Beijing.”

Tomlinson jumped 8.04m to win the long jump while Benjamin showed a welcome return to form by taking the 400m victory in 45.80. Mo Farah finished second in the 3000m in 7:39.02, Samson Oni was third in the high jump with 2.22m and Andy Turner also finished third in 13.57 in the 110m hurdles.

… British athletes at home

British Athletics League Premiership, Don Valley, Sheffield 7 June 2009

THERE were some good performances in the top league in a competition won by Newham and Essex Beagles with Birchfield in second and Woodford Green with Essex Ladies in third. Greg Rutherford took a break from his specialist event, the long jump to win the 100m B race in 10.48. Rabah Yusef (Newham & Essex Beagles) took the 400m in a useful 46.55 and Robert Lewis (Trafford) took the one lap hurdles in 51.56 while Gianni Frankis (Newham & Essex Beagles) took the short hurdles in 14.13. Andy Frost (Woodford Green & Essex Ladies) won the hammer with a throw of 69.10m and Chris Hughff (Newham & Essex Beagles) threw a solid 70.97 in the javelin. Kieran Kelly won the shot with 18.56m and Jonathan Moore (Birchfield) jumped 7.72m in the long jump.

British Athletics League National Division 1 Abingdon 6 June 2009

PICK of the performances at the League 1 match were Nigel Levine (Bedford & County) winning the 400m in 46.94 with James Hunter (Liv) U20 finishing in third in a useful 47.75. In the hammer Michael Bomba (Liv) threw 65.05m and in the javelin, Ian Burns (Gateshead Harriers) recorded 65.37m.

British Athletics League National Division 2, Cardiff 6 June 2009

NOTEWORTHY performances from the League 2 match were a Toby Sanderman (TVH) double in the 100m and 200m with times of 10.48 and 20.9. Rhys Williams (Card) won the 400mh in 51.30 while David Guest (Bridgend) U20 took the long jump with a leap of 7.14m.

UK Women’s League National Division 1, Alexander Stadium, Birmingham 7 June 2009

There were some good results and these included: Helen Pryer (Windsor Slough Eton & Hounslow) 23.4 in the 200m. Freya Murray (Edinburgh) took the 3000m in 9:19.0 and Zoe Derham won the hammer again with a best throw of 65.79m.

UK Women’s League National Division 3, Mayesbrook Park, Barking 7 June 2009

Performances of note were Phyllis Agbo’s (Thames Valley Harriers) 13.56m Shot Put PB and a solid long jump of 6.23m. Sara Luck (Havering Mayesbrook) ran 6:59.37 for the 2000mSC.