30 April 2012

With many UK meetings and races called off because of the torrential rain, all the major early action this week came in the USA, with the highlight another British record from Sophie Hitchon (coach: Derek Evely), which was reported on 27 April.

In the UK however, IPC World Championships discus silver medallist Aled Davies set an unofficial F42 shot putt World Record in Gateshead.

*Stanford update to follow*.

CP Grand Prix, Gateshead, April 29

In tough conditions with gale force winds, rain and hail, Aled Davies (coach: Anthony Hughes) smashed the F42 shot putt World Record with a throw of 14.56m (unratified) at the CP Grand Prix in Gateshead yesterday.

Davies, a discus silver medallist at the IPC Athletics World Championships in New Zealand in January 2011, is also an IWAS World Junior Championships double gold medallist.

He finished fourth in the shot putt at the IPC Worlds but has been promising to exceed his previous best of 14.41 recorded at the IWAS Series in the Netherlands almost a year ago.

“I knew I was capable of doing it, I’ve been smashing the World Record in training,” he said. “Obviously I’m now looking forward to going to Croatia for their Open Championships where I’ll be up against their Paralympic champion and former World Record holder Darko Kralj.

“His World Record has stood since Beijing so it’s given me a lot of confidence to better that and I know I’m in peak form now going into the competition.”

The Croatian open Athletics Championships take place on 4-5 May. Davies will then return for the London Disability Athletics Grand Prix/Paralympic Test Event in London before joining his Aviva GB & NI team mates for the BT Paralympic World Cup in Manchester.

Penn Relays, USA, April 28

Britain’s World Indoor Championship winning women’s 4 x 400m team were fourth in 3:28.71, well behind the winning USA team, while a Jamaican team and a second USA team also finished ahead.

The team was Nicola Sanders (Tony Lester), Christine Ohuruogu and Shana Cox (both Lloyd Cowan) and Perri Shakes Drayton (Chris Zah).

The women’s team also finished second in the sprint medley relay (as above plus Marilyn Okoro (Ayo Falola) replacing Nicola Sanders to run the final 800m leg). They timed 3:43.72 with Cox and Ohuruogu running the 200m leg and Shakes-Drayton running the 400m.

La Jolla, USA, April 27/28

Sophie Hitchon (Derek Evely), who is clear at the top of the McCain Power of 10 rankings, couldn’t match her form of a few days earlier and was third in the hammer with 68.48m.

Jade Nicholls (Andrew Neale) was ninth in the women’s discus with 56.76m

Results: http://www.directathletics.com/results/track/24079.html

Chula Vista, USA, April 26

Sophie Hitchon (Derek Evely) improved her British record in winning this competition and achieved her first Olympic A standard with her 71.61m throw bettering the 71.00m mark for the first time.

She said: “I feel really good and training out here has gone really well. It’s just really good to repeat it in competition. I think the A standard takes the pressure off my mind, the last few competitions I possibly tried too hard but now I can relax and compete to the best of my abilities.”

Zoe Derham (Evely), who threw in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, set a season’s best of 65.67m to go third in the McCain Power of Ten rankings.

Also in great form was Greg Rutherford (Dan Pfaff). He achieved a season’s long-jump best and equalled the Olympic A standard with an 8.20m/1.2 jump to go top of the rankings.

Also setting an Olympic A standard was Goldie Sayers (Pfaff) in the javelin with a ranking topping 63.04m.

Jade Nicholls finished third in the women’s discus with 56.90m.

Results: http://results.runnercard.com/Results/results.jsp?meetid=3718

La Jolla, USA, April 26

Lawrence Okoye (John Hillier) produced another world class discus throw of 66.22m but lost out to Dutchman Eril Cadee who threw 66.80m to surpass Okoye’s previous world lead of 66.67m.

Abdul Buhari (Mark Wiseman) finished a fine fourth in a different competition with a season opening  61.71m.to go second in the UK rankings.

Results: http://results.runnercard.com/Results/results.jsp?meetid=3718