28 February 2011

With less than a week to go until the European Indoor Championships in Paris and the McCain UK Cross Challenge Final/World Cross Country Trials in Birmingham, a number of athletes continue to record impressive performances as the winter season draws to a close.

England Athletics Under-15, Under-17 and Under-20 Championships, Birmingham, February 26/27

There were some excellent performances in the premier junior indoor event of the season.

Fifteen year-old Desiree Henry (coach: Mike McFarlane) won the under-20 200m in a quick 23.92, but she was even quicker in her semi final when she timed 23.78 to top the McCain Power of Ten under-17 rankings.

Guy Learmonth (coach: Henry Gray) followed up his fast BUSA win with another quick victory, winning the 800m in 1:49.11 – close to his top ranking mark of 1:48.58 which has a three second advantage at the head of the McCain POT rankings.

Liam Clowes (coach: Steven Walker) won the under-20 200m in 21.39, to top the McCain POT rankings in that age group.

Over 400m, Clovis Asong (coach: Keith Hunter) ran a fast 48.39 to win the under-17 race and go top of the McCain POT rankings.

Katarina Johnson-Thompson (coach: Mike Holmes) won the long jump in 6.28m, which not only tops the McCain POT under-20 rankings, but also exceeded the best ever under-20 jump indoors surpassing her 6.25m from last year. She also was second in the high jump in a personal best of 1.83m which put her third in the rankings. Isobel Pooley (coach: George May) won with a PB of 1.86m to go top of the rankings.

Other McCain POT top ranking performances included Morgan Lake (coach: Eldon Lake) in the under-15 High jump equalling her 2011 best of 1.75m and Sophie McKinna (coach: Geoff Capes) who won the under-20 shot in 15.70m.

Results here http://www.thepowerof10.info/results/results.aspx?meetingid=47733

Snake Lake 10. Pocklington, February 27

1500m specialist Ricky Stevenson (coach: Steve Shaw) demonstrated his great endurance to win the 10 mile race in 48:03 to go top of the McCain POT rankings.

Results here http://www.ukresults.net/2011/snake.html

Thetford February Throws, February 27

In outdoor action, Callum Brown (coach: John Painter), who last year topped the McCain POT under-17 hammer rankings, threw a personal best of 60.34m with the under-20 weight to go top of the 2011 McCain POT under 20 lists.

Results here: http://www.thetford-ac.co.uk/ThetfordACFebThrowsMeeting.pdf

Stockholm Grand Prix, February 22

World and European triple jump champion Phillips Idowu (coach: Aston Moore) showed his competitive mettle yet again with a superb win in 17.48m to beat a top class field including former Olympic champion Christian Olsson on his home patch. It was just 9cm down on his McCain Power of Ten top ranking performance set in the Aviva Grand Prix at Birmingham which is second only to Teddy Tamgho’s recent World Record of 17.91m.

There was a tremendous breakthrough for Andrew Osagie (coach: Craig Winrow) over 800m when clocking his first sub 1:47 indoors to go sixth on the UK all-time list with a fourth place 1:46.59. He moves to the top of the McCain/POT rankings and into the world top 10 for 2011 in a confidence boost ahead of next weekend’s European Indoor Championships in Paris (4-6 march).

In-form Helen Clitheroe (coach: John Nuttall) who will compete over 3000m in Paris, clocked a quick 4:06.86 in the women’s 1500m. That placed her sixth in the race and put her top of the McCain POT rankings and was also a British Masters (over-35) record.

Close behind in eighth, Hannah England (coach: Bud Baldaro) went second in the rankings with a 4:07.13 clocking.

Results here http://88.131.109.176/folksam/xlgalan/result.php