21 February 2011

While Mo Farah (coach: Alberto Salazar) stole the show at the Aviva Grand Prix in Birmingham, a number of athletes were targeting last gasp qualification standards both at the NIA and elsewhere in the UK for the European Indoor Championships in Paris.

At the Home Country National Cross Country Championships, English athletes battled through tough underfoot conditions, while in Scotland, there was a welcome return to competitive action for Freya Murray (coach: Steve Jones).

BUCS Indoor Athletics Championships, EIS Sheffield, February 19/20

Scottish Junior Guy Learmonth (coach: Henry Gray), third at the Aviva UK Trials and Championships last weekend and now working with George Gandy and Alasdair Donaldson in Loughborough, improved to 1:48.58 at 800m to break the Championship Record but miss David Sharpe’s UK Junior indoor best by just 0.05 of a second. That time put him top of the McCain Power of Ten Under-20 rankings, but also third in the overall men’s lists.

Loughborough won both the men’s and women’s team competitions.

Results here: http://www.bucs.org.uk/page.asp?section=13034&sectionTitle=Indoor+Championships

Midland Open, Birmingham, February 20

Rowan May (coach: Peter Hill) broke the under-17 indoor record with a 4.91m leap in the pole vault which easily tops the McCain POT under-17 rankings. Having narrowly missed out at the Aviva Grand Prix the day before, Richard Buck (coach: Kevin Tyler) got a last chance qualifier for Paris winning the 400m in 46.38 to go third in the McCain/POT rankings.

Results here: http://www.thepowerof10.info/results/results.aspx?meetingid=42557

Manchester Open, February 20

Andrew Sutcliffe (Coach: Julien Raffalli-Ebezant) set a season’s best of 5.25m to go fourth in the McCain Power of Ten rankings.

Results here: http://www.thepowerof10.info/results/results.aspx?meetingid=43122

English National Cross Country Championships, Alton Towers, February 19

There were senior wins for Steve Vernon (coach: David Turnbull) and Louise Damen.

Vernon fought off the challenge of Mike Skinner (coach: Andrew Hobdell) and his conqueror in the North of England Championships, Tom Lancashire (Norman Poole), and won in a time of 35:11.

The women’s race was much closer with Louise Damen getting the better of Hatti Dean (coach: Bud Baldaro) and defending champion Liz Yelling. She won by four seconds in a time of 23:49 for the 6km course. Gemma Steel (coach: Roy Stowell) was fourth.

Junior winners included Jonathan Hay and Emelia Gorecka (both coached by Mick Woods). Many of the races were shortened and some of the course altered due to the dangerous conditions caused by the mud.

Results here: http://www.englishcrosscountry.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=66&Itemid=73

Scottish Cross-Country Championships, Falkirk, February 19

Derek Hawkins (coach: Lawrie Spence) pulled off a surprisingly easy victory in the men’s race. Third last year, he won by 37 seconds from Chris McKay in a time of 38:35.

Freya Murray (coach: Steve Jones) was even more dominant in the women’s event. She won by 64 seconds from Elspeth Curran (coach: Lawrie Spence) in a time of 28:38.

Results here:http://www.thepowerof10.info/results/results.aspx?meetingid=41758&event=ZXC&venue=Falkirk&date=19-Feb-11&pagenum=1

Welsh Cross-Country Championships, Prifysgol Glyndwr University Northop Campus, February 19

Leading triathlete Non Stanford, who made a late decision to compete, won her first senior title in 25:54 taking the overall women’s race in 25:54 from fellow under-23 Alaw Beynon Thomas (coach: Kevin Evans).

Making it an under-23 double in the senior races, Afan Humphries (coach: David Lewis) won the men’s race in 33:53 with Rob Samuel in second.