08 May 2012

Desenzano, May 5

In very wet conditions, the 2008 World youth heptathlon champion Katarina Johnson-Thompson (Coach: Mike Holmes) smashed her PB by over 200 points to become the 11th Briton to break 6000 points and she bettered the Olympic B standard of 5950 with a score of 6007 points. It also broke Jess Ennis’s UK junior record of 5910 set seven years ago.

The teenager had a great first day, leading overnight. She started by setting a huge 100m hurdles PB of 13.68/-0.6, followed by a solid high jump of 1.81m, then a shot of 11.75m, which while losing some ground on her rivals, was still a PB. She finished the Saturday with another big PB of 23.78/0.1.

On the second day in the long jump a 6.14/0.1 lost ground but she held on to first place. In the javelin, 37.17m wasn’t too far off her PB but Greece’s Sofia Ifadidou launched a huge 55.72m which was 358 points better than the Briton and took her into the lead. Johnson-Thompson then ran the 800m with 2:18.89 giving her enough for a clear third place and a big PB and go top of the McCain Power of Ten rankings.

Louise Wood (Julie Hollman) finished 11th, close to her best with 5443, to go second in the rankings, the highlight being a win in the 100m hurdles in a big PB of13.24/-0.1 though she faded over the second day after lying fifth overnight.

2004 Olympic bronze medallist Kelly Sotherton (Coach: Aston Moore) pulled up injured in the 200m at the end of day one.

In the men’s decathlon Ashley Bryant (Coach: Ian Grant) finished second with 7689 points which puts him top of the McCain Power of Ten rankings, while John Lane (Antonio Minichello)  finished fifth in a PB 7399 to go fourth in the rankings.

Results

Kingston, May 5
While Usain Bolt stole the headlines with a 9.82 100m world lead, there were solid performances from competing Brits.
In the women’s 400m, Novlene Williams Mills, caught a tiring ex world champion Sanya Richards-Ross in the last 30 metres with a world leading 49.99. In third place, Christine Ohuruogu (Coach: Lloyd Cowan) ran one of her fastest ever early season times with 50.93, which puts her well clear in the McCain Power of Ten rankings and is well inside the Olympic A standard of 51.55.
Andy Turner (Cowan) also bettered the Olympic A standard (13.52) with a 13.50 for fourth place in the 110m hurdles and that put him top of the rankings until Andy Pozzi’s Bank Holiday Monday performance at the BUCS championships.
Larry Achike (Frank Attoh) finished the triple jump with 16.26m.

The other UK ranking topping performance in Kingston, came from UK record holder Tiffany Porter (Coach: James Henry). Her world class 12.65/1.5, well inside the Olympic A standard of 12.96 placed her third, a metre down on Jamaican winner Brigitte Foster-Hilton’s 12.51.

Results: http://www.iaaf.org/Mini/IWC12/Results/ResultsByEventIWC.aspx?/eventcode=4945/

Chula Vista, May 3
Greg Rutherford (Coach: Dan Pfaff) equalled Chris Tomlinson’s British long jump record with a 8.35m/2.0 jump. Rutherford sits on top of the McCain Power of Ten rankings but more importantly the leap puts him top of the world rankings and was well in excess of the Olympic qualifying mark A standard of 8.20m.
Rutherford started with a windy 7.89m, before improving to 8.02m in the second but the big jump came in the fouth round.
Rutherford tweeted after the competition: “Not a bad day. PB in San Diego with a cheeky +2.0! Feels good with a larger crowd as well. The OTC in San Diego is my new fav place to jump, actually just behind Paris and Crystal Palace.”

Results http://results.runnercard.com/Results/results.jsp?meetid=3719

UKA events, BUCS Championships, Olympic Stadium May 4 -7

Separate reports are available courtesy of www.uka.org.uk whilst footage from the championships courtesy of Athleticos can be found here http://bit.ly/K6ZhXy

For Andy Pozzi’s record breaking run of 13.35- http://bit.ly/IBU3Ou

Pavia, May 6
Lee McConnell (Rodger Harkins) opened her season with a 52.74 400 which places her fourth in the McCain Power of Ten rankings.
Results http://www.fidal.it/risultati/2012/COD3252/Index.htm

Kawasaki, May 6
Aviva World trials and Uk champion, Nathan Woodward (Nick Dakin) was third in the 400m hurdles in 50.38.
Results http://www.iaaf.org/Mini/IWC12/Results/ResultsByEventIWC.aspx?/eventcode=4944/

Shizuoka, May 3
Nathan Woodward (Nick Dakin) was fifth in the 400m hurdles in 50.29 which places him second in the McCain Power of Ten rankings.
Results http://www2.wbs.ne.jp/~nagata/t&f/120503HTML.htm