20 July 2015

British Athletics Jumps and Throws Fest, Alexander Stadium, Birmingham, 18-19 July

There were some impressive performances from the contingent of para athletes mixing it with the able-bodied competitors over the two days of jumps and throws action. Olivia Breen (coach: Jonas Tawiah-Dodoo), the F38 2012 European 100m and 200m bronze medallist, set a lifetime best of 4.28m (-0.1) in the long jump. Hollie Arnold (Anthony Hughes), the reigning F36 javelin world champion, threw a season’s best of 39.89m, just 15cm down on her lifetime best. F44 world and European silver medallist Jonathan Broom-Edwards (Fayyaz Ahmed) cleared 2.20m in the high jump, while F37 discus man Joshua Bain (Paul Welch) threw 44.21m.

Among the able-bodied contingent, Birchfield Harrier Mike Edwards (Fayyaz Ahmed) cleared 2.25m in the high jump – a 5cm hike on his outdoor best and 3cm above his indoor best. Joe Dunderdale (self-coached) threw a season’s best of 72.61m to go third in the UK rankings for the javelin in 2015. Henrietta Paxton (self-coached) cleared a season’s best of 4.25m to climb to joint second in the women’s pole vault rankings.

Jack Phipps (Kate Rooney) won the men’s pole vault with 5.15m, while Mark Dry (Tore Gustafsson) won the men’s hammer with 70.71m and Sarah Holt (John Pearson) took first place in the women’s hammer with 63.51m.

Birchfield Harrier Mike Edwards (Fayyaz Ahmed) cleared 2.25m in the high jump – a 5cm hike on his outdoor best and 3cm above his indoor best.

KBC Nacht Meeting, Heusden-Zolder, Belgium, 18 July

Two weeks after claiming the 5,000m title at the Sainsbury’s British Championships, Tom Farrell (Mark Rowland) took a mighty ten seconds off his personal best to clock his second World Championship qualifying time of the summer over twelve and a half laps and to climb above some all-time greats to sixth place in the UK all-time list.

The 24-year-old Cumbrian finished seventh in 13:10.48 in a high class race won in13:05.38 by 2012 Olympic silver medallist Dejen Gebremeskel of Ethiopia. It also took the Border Harrier past the great Dave Bedford (13:17.21) and Brendan Foster (13: 14.6) and also Tim Hutchings (2:11.50) in the British all-time rankings.

Not to be outdone, there were some lifetime bests and Beijing qualifiers by Chris O’Hare (Terrence Mahon) and Charlie Grice (Jon Bigg) over 1500m. O’Hare, the European indoor and outdoor bronze medallist at the distance, won the B race in 3:34.83. Grice, who won the British title ahead of the Scot, finished second in the A race in 3:35.39 – behind Morocco’s Fouad El Kaam, who won in 3:34.53. Lee Emmanuel (Joe Franklin) was eighth in 3:36.35.

There was also a Beijing qualifier for former world junior 1500m champion Steph Twell (Mick Woods) in the women’s 5000m. The Aldershot athlete was fourth in 15:14.39, her third quickest time at the distance, with Sutton Coldfield’s Laura Whittle (George Gandy) seventh in 15:22.00.

Alison Leonard (Bud Baldaro) was a winner over 800m in 2:00.95, while Allan Smith (Bryan Roy) was runner-up in the high jump with a 2.23m clearance.

http://www.thepowerof10.info/results/results.aspx?meetingid=143588

LEAP European Permit Meeting, Loughborough, 18 July

There was a long-awaited season’s opener by Goldie Sayers (Mark Roberson), a first serious test of the summer for William Sharman (Jerzy Maciuewicz) and notable switches of events by Michael Bingham (George Williams) and Meghan Beesley (Nick Dakin), but most significantly of all there was a clutch of World Championship qualifying marks by the home athletes competing in the annual European Athletics Permit Meeting at the Paula Radcliffe Stadium on Saturday.

The first to achieve one was former world junior champion Harry Aikines-Aryeetey (Rana Reider), who won the opening 100m race in 10.16 (+1.6) in a dip finish with Sean Safo Antwi (Jonas Tawiah-Dodoo), who was credited with the same time – also a season’s best for the Enfield and Haringey sprinter and exactly the qualifying standard for Beijing. Two hours later Aikines-Aryeetey followed up with a victory in 10.19 (+1.6) in the first of the second series of 100m races. “It’s nice to run a season’s best,” said Aikines-Aryeetey. “Each time I race I’m getting better.”

Lawrence Clarke (Malcolm Arnold) was 0.03 inside the World Championship qualifying standard in the 110m hurdles final, the 2010 Commonwealth Games bronze medallist winning in 13.44 (+1.1) from Joao Oliveira of Brazil (13.52), and Dane Andreas Martinsen (13.64). Following a 13.39 clocking in Lucerne on 14 July, it was Clarke’s second Beijing qualifying mark of the season.

Newly crowned European Under 23 champion David Omoregie (Benke Blomqvist) was fourth in 13.70 and Sharman fifth in 13.71. Sharman, the 2014 European and Commonwealth silver medallist, was third in his heat in 13.76 (+1.0). His only other performance of the summer was a 14.23 (-2.8) clocking in a Southern League meeting at Croydon on 4 July.

Like Clarke, Commonwealth hammer bronze medallist Mark Dry (Tore Gustafsson) bagged a vital second World Championship qualifying standard, finishing second with a throw of 76.56m – his second best ever – behind Italian Marco Lingua (78.29m). “It’s such a big weight off my shoulders,” said Dry. “I feel about 40 kilos lighter.”

Perhaps the most heartening sight of all on a near-perfect day for competition was that of the injury-plagued Sayers returning to action for the first time since her eight-placed finish in the javelin final at the European Championships in Zurich on 14 August last year. The ten-time British champion made a winning return, too, throwing 59.53m to eclipse a season’s best of 57.39m by Izzy Jeffs (David Parker). The 33-year-old Sayers tops the UK rankings but now faces a race against time to nail the Beijing standard of 61m.

There was also the novel sight of Bingham, the 2010 European 400m medallist in the flat 400m, racing over the 400m hurdles. The 29-year-old GB & NI 4 x 400m relay team stalwart won the B race in 51.92 from Matt Sumner, who clocked 52.13. It was not his first venture over the one-lap barriers. Back in 2006, in the days when he was a promising all-rounder (he won the Pan Am junior decathlon bronze medal a year later), Bingham registered a 54.19 clocking. Seb Rodger (James Hillier) won the A race in 49.86 after Tom Burton (Nick Dakin) fell at the last hurdle.

Beesley is accustomed to racing 400m hurdles but the 2011 European Under 23 bronze medallist stepped down to the 100m hurdles to impressive effect, clocking a personal best of 13.21 (+1.2) as runner-up in the final to European indoor 60k hurdles bronze medallist Serita Solomon (13.11).

Former European outdoor 400m champion Martyn Rooney (Rana Reider) won his specialist event in 45.55, his second fastest time of the summer, with Nigel Levine (Linford Christie) a distant second in 46.02. Chris Clarke (Steve Fudge) won the second string 400m race in 47.37, then eased the home-straight lactic out of his system to win the 200m in 20.75 ( +1.1) from Delano Williams (Neil Harrison), who took the runner-up spot in 20.78, 0.1 ahead of Leon Reid (James Hillier).There was also a double for Louise Bloor (Toni Minichiello) who clocked a PB of 11.43 (+1.0 )in her second 100m race of the day (having won the first in 11.54, +1.2) and then won the 200m in a windy 23.57 (+2.3).

Welshman Brett Morse (Nigel Bevan) won the men’s discus with 63.06m, while Commonwealth bronze medallist Jade Lally (Andy Neal) triumphed in the women’s event with 58.16m.

http://loughboroughsport.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/LEAP-2015-Results.pdf

British Milers’ Club Grand Prix, Iffley Road, Oxford, 18 May

Shalayna Oskan-Clarke (Ayo Falola) backed up her second-placing behind European and Commonwealth silver medallist Lynsey Sharp (Rana Reider) in the 800m final at the Sainsbury’s British Championships two weeks ago and her 2:00.90 PB in Lucerne last Tuesday with a crucial second sub 2:01 World Championship qualifying standard. The 25-year-old Windsor Slough Eton and Hounslow athlete maintained her impressive run of form with a narrow victory over former European indoor champion Jenny Meadows (Trevor Painter) in 2:00.92. Meadows, a disappointing seventh in the British Championship final, clocked 2:00.99, her third Beijing qualifying mark of the summer.

Charlene Thomas (Aaron Thomas) was a decisive winner over 1500m, finishing in 4:08.92, with Faye Fullerton (Georgina Fullerton) a distant second in 4:16.58. Shildon’s Cameron Boyek (David Lowes), seventh in the 1500m final at the European Under 23 Championships in Tallinn last weekend, won the mile in 4:02.30.

http://www.thepowerof10.info/results/results.aspx?meetingid=134418

Morrisons Great Newham London Run, Stratford, 19 July

John Beattie (Gavin Smith)  followed in the footsteps of his Newham and Essex Beagles club-mate Mo Farah by crossing the finish line in the London Olympic Stadium as the winner of a 10,000m, or in his case 10km road, race. Beattie won the men’s section of the Great Newham London Run in 31:44. Highgate’s Peter Hawkings (Richard Charleston) clocked 33:18 in second, with Belgrave’s Gus Upton (Will Cockerell) third in 33:24. Fiona Thompson (John Lees) of Thames Valley Harriers won the women’s race in 36:50.

The event, which attracted some 17,000 runners, incorporated a team 4 x ¼ marathon relay challenge, with each runner completing 10.54km. A Kenyan quartet of Mike Kigen, Cypran Kotut, Dickson Chumba and Stephen Sambu finished in a combined time of 2:02.56 – one second inside compatriot Dennis Kimetto’s world record time for the marathon. A British men’s team of Callum Hawkins (Robert Hawkins), Andrew Heyes (Keith Whitelam), Andy Butchart (Derek Easton) and Luke Caldwell (Nic Bideau) finished in 2 hours 13 minutes 27 seconds. The race also featured a Great Britain’s women’s team. Lauren Howarth (self-coached), Beth Potter (Mick Woods), Rhona Auckland (Joyce Hogg) and Jess Coulson (Mick Woods) completed the 26.2 miles in 2 hours 29 minutes 34 seconds – putting into perspective the world record time of 2 hours 15 minutes 25 seconds set in the 2003 London Marathon by Paula Radcliffe. “I saw Paula here earlier today and it just shows you what an amazing athlete she was,” said Coulson, the Stockport Harrier who finished fourth in the 2015 European Cup 10,000m track race. “She ran four 32 minute 10km splits back to back to get that record, which is just phenomenal.”

http://www.greatrun.org/myresults/full-search