15th January 2018
WEEKEND UPDATE
Ooredoo Doha Half Marathon and 10k, Doha, Qatar, 12 January
Eilish McColgan (coach: Liz Nuttall) carried on where she left off in 2017, revising her 10km personal best in her first race of the new year. Second overall in the mixed race, McColgan produced the performance off the back of a training camp in Qatar, where her mother and coach is based. Running 31.53, three seconds quicker than she did in the same race 12 months ago, it is clear McColgan is only going from strength to strength, and she’ll now head to Kenyan for an altitude training camp ahead of the Commonwealth Games in April.
In the half marathon Chris Thompson was an impressive third behind a pair of Kenyan’s, posting a 63.03 season’s best to get the better of the likes of Ayad Lamdassem, Abdi Abdirahman and Commonwealth Games marathon champion Michael Shelley. In the women’s race Gemma Steel (Nuttall) went one better with a runner-up finish, crossing the line in 72.37.
Cardiff Met Open – Grand Prix 2, 13 January
T44 100m world champion Sophie Kamlish (Rob Ellchuk) opened her season with an 8.58 clocking over 60m, which was ideal preparation ahead of her competing at the Muller Indoor Grand Prix Glasgow next month.
Elsewhere, Steve Morris (James Thie) was in excellent form, setting an indoor PB over 1500m, crossing the line in 4:00.99.
Loughborough Students AC Open, 13 January
London 2017 World Para Athletics long jump champion Olivia Breen (Aston Moore) recorded a pair of 60m personal bests to kick start her 2018 campaign in fine style. She first recorded a best of 8.47 and then followed it up with a time of 8.45.
Also, Olympic and world relay medallist Daryl Neita (Jonas Dodoo) looked impressive with a time of 7.24 in the 60m.
Meeting National à thème en salle X-Athletics, France, 14 January
Katarina Johnson-Thompson opened her season with three events in France. In the 60m hurdles, she crossed the line in 8.50, and leaped 6.45m in the long jump. 10.91m was the throw recorded in the shot put.
Northern Athletics Indoor Championships, Sheffield, 13-14 January
Alex Knibbs (Julie Feeney) ran a big personal best to win the U20 400m title, the hurdles specialist clocking 47.83 to break the Championship record and go over half a second quicker than he ever has before. Emma Alderson (Stephen Carroll) completed a fine double, taking the U20 400m and 800m titles in 55.36 and 2.09.48 respectively.
In the field, Emily Borthwick (Fuzz Caan) set a new lifetime best of 1.84m to win the women’s high jump, whilst Adam Hague (Trevor Fox) got the better of Charlie Myers (Chris Boundy) to win the men’s pole vault, 5.40m to 5.30m. Naomi Ogbeta (Tom Cullen) won the women’s triple with a 13.33m effort, whilst Scott Lincoln (Paul Wilson) claimed the men’s shot put title with a best of 18.13m.
Southern Athletics Indoor Championships, Lee Valley, 13-14 January
John Otugade smashed his 60m personal best to go top of the Power of 10 rankings. Moving through the rounds with ease, last year’s British Championships seventh place finisher stopped the clock at 6.60 in the final to take the Southern title. The battle for second was much closer, Theo Etienne just getting the better of his training partner Reuben Arthur (both Ryan Freckleton), 6.67 to 6.68. In the U20 men’s race Romell Glave (Paul Weston) took gold with a highly impressive 6.66 personal best, pushed all the way by Dom Ashwell who also ran a personal best of 6.68. Glave’s time puts him third on the UK all-time list.
There were personal bests for the first five in the women’s final, Diani Walker (Lloyd Cowan) and Risqat Fabunmi-Alade (Donovan Reid) unable to be separated, the pair both running 7.35. Kristal Awuah (Matthew Thomas) took the U20 women’s title in a 7.44 personal best.
Moving up to the 400m, Alex Shaw took the U20 women’s title in 55.85, whilst last weekend’s England Athletics Pentathlon champion Marilyn Nwawulor (Cowan) took the 60mH title at Lee Valley in 8.29.
FPSG National Open, Emirates Arena, Glasgow, 13-14 January
London 2017 GB captain Eilidh Doyle (Brian Doyle) competed in her native Scotland for the second weekend in a row after a rare 200m outing last Sunday. Stepping up to the two lap event this week, Doyle clocked 53.00 in a mixed race, proving she’s in a good place at this early point in the season. Allan Smith (Bryon Roy) cleared 2.21m in the men’s high jump before retiring, whilst Miraji Ahmed (David Watson) broke the Scottish U17 triple jump record with a fine 14.12m leap.
Start Fitness Surrey League, Coulsdon, 13 January
Andy Maud was victorious over a strong senior men’s field at the Surrey League, edging clear of Kent champion John Gilbert, with Paskar Owar getting the better of Nicholas Torry to take third. The quartet will all be looking to continue their good form ahead of the Southern and National Cross Country Championships.
Nittany Lion Challenge, University Park PA, USA, 13 January
In his first competition of his American collegiate career Joel Leon Benitez (Bob Phillips) finished runner-up with an impressive 5.37m clearance. Benitez, who last year went second on the UK Junior all-time list with a 5.51m personal best, is now training and studying at Virginia Tech and took an early lead at the top of the 2018 Power of 10 rankings before Hague’s effort in Sheffield.
Leonard Hilton Invitational, Houston, Texas, USA, 12 January
Also in action across the pond, Ama Pipi (Jonas Dodoo) competed for the first time since the European U23 Championships last July, and could be pleased with a trio of 60m efforts. Third in the final in 7.52, the 200m specialist had earlier clocked 7.50 and 7.45, her quickest run of the day putting her top of the Power of 10.
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