6th February 2012

Weekend Update

06 January 2012

Snow caused a lot of races to be cancelled but there was plenty of top action at home and abroad in addition to the McCain Indoor City Challenge at Sheffield.

European Club Championships, Castellon, Spain, February 5

Stockport Harriers finished sixth in the men’s competition with 129 points. Steve Vernon (coach: David Turnbull) was the leading British athlete in 12th in 29:04. Patrick Martin (Turnbull) was 21st in 29:13.

Charnwood, Britain’s women’s representatives, were missing most of their leading runners and were 13th and last in the women’s event with 234 points. Gemma Hillier was their leading runner in 43rd in 21:06.

Results: here

Chichester 10km, February 5

Benedict Whitby (Andrew Hobdell) won in a PB 29:37 to go top of the McCain Power of ten rankings, just three days after arriving back from the UKA/London Marathon training camp in Iten, Kenya. Charlotte Purdue (Mick Woods), who has been back in training just three weeks after an injury which kept her out of the European Cross Country Championships, went top of the women’s rankings with a time of 33:19.

Results: http://www.chiptiming.co.uk/pdf/Chichester10k_2012.pdf

Birmingham Games, Feb 4/5

Former World Youth and World Junior champion Harry Aikines-Aryeetey (Michael Khmel) won the big event – the 60m – in 6.74.

However, Richard Kilty (Linford Christie), who didn’t contest the final, was the quickest overall first with a 6.68 heat and then a PB and McCain Power of Ten ranking topping 6.61 semi final. Christian Malcolm (Dan Pfaff) also missed out on the final but won his semi-final in 6.77. Mark Lewis Francis (Christie), who won the Aviva International Match in Glasgow, failed to make the final after running 6.87 in his semi.

In the women’s 60m, Elaine O’Neill (Tom Crick) won in 7.48 but the fastest time was by the other semi final winner Abi Oyepitan (Tony Lester) who ran 7.39 but didn’t run in the final. Olympic 400m champion Christine Ohuruogu (Lloyd Cowan) ran 7.78 in her heat.

There were some fast times in the 400m heats. European Indoor Championships bronze medallist Richard Buck (Steve Fudge) went top of the McCain Power of Ten rankings with a time of 46.95 going close to the World Indoor standard of 46.90.

Other prospective Olympic 4 x 400 members, Rob Tobin (Dan Pfaff) ran 47.43 and Michael Bingham (Kevin Tyler) timed 47.61.

Shana Cox (Lloyd Cowan) bettered the World Indoor qualifying mark of 53.25 with a 53.08 heat.

The day two highlight came from European Juniors silver medallist Andrew Pozzi (Malcolm Arnold) who went inside the World Indoor Championships 60mH standard of 7.65 with a PB of 7.62 which puts him top of the McCain Power of Ten rankings. Nigel Levine (Linford Christie) won the 200 m in a fast 21.12 to go top of the McCain Power of Ten rankings.

Day one field results were not available at time of posting.

Results: http://www.thepowerof10.info/results/results.aspx?meetingid=58245

For video highlights see: http://bit.ly/ArEikN

Moscow, February 5

Dwain Chambers finished a very close second in the 60m in 6.64 after winning his heat in 6.68. Simeon Williamson (Lloyd Cowan) ran 6.65 in his heat but was disqualified from the final.

Shara Proctor (Rana Reider) improved her McCain Power of Ten top ranking mark in the long jump by a single centimetre (6.60m) which placed her third.

Boston, February 4

World 5000m champion Mo Farah (Alberto Salazar) set an indoor PB in the mile of 3:57.92 despite a heavy fall at the start and ended up fourth. He said: "I got clipped, not their fault. I’m not feeling any ill effects yet. You’ve got to be ready for anything."

Andy Baddeley (Andrew Hobdell) finished eighth in a 3000m that saw a World Leading time of 7:38.09 for the winner. Baddeley’s time was comfortably inside the World Indoor standard of 7:50.00 and puts him top of the McCain Power of Ten rankings.

Results: http://www.flashresults.com/2012_Meets/indoor/02-04-NewBalanceGP/Day1.htm

BUCS Cross-Country Championships, Cardiff, February 4

Jonny Hay (Mick Woods), representing Birmingham University, kept up his good winter form with a narrow victory over Ireland’s Sean Connolly.

Hannah Walker (Bud Baldaro) made it a Birmingham University individual double with a women’s win over Louise Small (Mick Woods).

Results: http://www.thepowerof10.info/results/results.aspx?meetingid=58245

For highlights see: http://bit.ly/wGwZy5

Mondeville, February 4

Laura Turner (Linford Christie) finished second in the 60m in a World Indoor qualifying 7.29 for her fastest time for four years.

Steve Lewis gained some big scalps in the pole vault with 5.62m defeating France’s Romain Mesnil and Damiel Dossevi which puts him top of the McCain Power of Ten rankings.

Lawrence Clarke (Malcolm Arnold) finished third in the 60m hurdles in 7.69, just missing his PB of 7.68 from last week at Glasgow.

Results: http://www.meeting-mondeville.com/pdf/resultats_meeting_mondeville_2012.pdf

Hobart, February 4

Nick McCormick (Nic Bideau) ran one of his fastest ever 5000m races and finished third in 13:32.88.

Andy Vernon (Bideau) finished fifth in 13:38.10. The two go top of the McCain Power of Ten rankings. The Olympic B standard is 13:27.00. The A standard is 13:20.00.

Results: http://www.athletics.com.au/~athlivestats/results/

Linz, Austria, February 2

Scott Rider (John Hillier) threw 17.88m in the shot in fifth place to go top of the McCain Power of Ten rankings. Last year’s Aviva UK champion (indoors and out) in the women’s shot, Eden Francis (Glenys Morton) set a PB of 16.92m to finish second to also go top in the McCain POT rankings.

Results: http://www.guglindoor.at/cms/files/results/16.pdf

Vienna, January 31

Joe Thomas (Arwyn Davies) continued his good form going with an easy win in a PB and ranking-topping 800m of 1:47.28 in spite of inexplicably being seeded in race two.

Lewis Moses (John Nuttall) smashed both his indoor and outdoor PB to finish second in the 1500m in 3:41.33, which is inside the World Indoor qualifying standard of 3:42.00.

Results: http://www.guglindoor.at/cms/files/results/16.pdf