24 May 2010

Paralympic Games bronze medallist Dan Greaves and 2009 British Wheelchair Racing Association gold medallist Hannah Cockroft recorded new World Records in the F44 discus (57.14m) and T34 400m (1:05.51) respectively over the weekend.

Greaves, who previously threw a lifetime best and unofficial World Record of 56.50m at the Wexiö Indoor Throwing meeting in Växjö, Sweden in March, made sure of the mark with an impressive 57.14m in his first round throw, also an IPC Athletics World Championships qualifying standard, at the McCain Loughborough International on Sunday (23 May).

It was a huge confidence boost for the former Paralympic, World and European champion as he goes into tomorrow’s BT Paralympic World Cup in Manchester (Tuesday 25 May).

“That performance has come at a great time for me after my PB and unofficial WR in Sweden,” said Greaves after the event. “I don’t typically go full throttle in the first round, so it was good for me.  I’ve opened up really well this outdoor season and I can now realistically hope to better myself in Tuesday’s BT Paralympic World Cup. With the World Champs in January 2011 I wanted to hit some good form early so I can get back into training to prepare with confidence for the late peak.”

Cockroft’s World Record 400m performance at the UKA Disability Athletics Challenge event in Knowsley was an incredible result for the 17-year-old who won UK School Games 100m gold in 2008 and the Mini London Marathon wheelchair race for the first time in 2009. She reduced Deborah Brennan’s previous world mark of 1:07.68 – set back in 2002 – by over two seconds.

There were multiple World Championships qualifying standards and noteworthy performances across the weekend in Knowsley, with highlights including a new lifetime best of 4.85m for Beijing Paralympian Stefanie Reid in the F44 long jump, also an IPC World Championships ‘A’ standard, a close T53/54 men’s 100m won by Switzerland’s Marcel Hug by eight one-hundredths of a second from Great Britain’s Beijing Paralympic 100m silver medallist and World Record holder (T53) Mickey Bushell (14.98) and a second victory for Hug in the men’s T53/T54 1500m with 3:01.56 ahead of Great Britain’s World Record holder David Weir (3:02.70).

Individually, Shelly Woods also excelled with a series of quality performances in the 400m, 800m, 1500m and 5000m, the 400m particularly impressive in a new PB of 56.36.

The majority of those who competed in Loughborough and Knowsley will now look to build on those performances at tomorrow’s BT Paralympic World Cup in Manchester (Tuesday 25 May).

The confirmed Aviva GB & NI team and events are:

David Weir (Jenny Archer): T53/54 800m & 1500m

Brian Alldis (Tanni Grey-Thompson): T53/54 800m & 1500m

Mickey Bushell (Fred Periac): T53/54 100m & 200m

Daniel Lucker (Jenny Archer): T53/54 100m & 200m

Graeme Ballard (Steve Thomas): T36/37/38 100m & 200m

Stephen Keeling: T36/37/38 100m & 200m

Ian Jones (John Dunne): T44 100m & 400m

Johnny Peacock (Hayley Ginn): T44 100m

Richard Whitehead (Liz Yelling): T44 400m

James Ball (John Coia): T11-13 100m & 200m

Paul Willis (Angela Robertshaw): T11-13 100m & 200m

David Devine (Brian Scobie): T11-13 400m

Dan West (Jim Edwards): F33/34/54-57 Discus

Dan Greaves (Jim Edwards): F42/44 Discus

Aled Davies (Anthony Hughes): F42/44 Discus

Stephen Miller (Ros Miller): F32/51 Club (showcase event)

Thomas Green (Ken Green): F32/51 Club (showcase event)

Libby Clegg (Tom Crick): T11/12 100m & 200m

Tracey Hinton (Darrell Maynard): T11/12/13 100m & 200m

Hazel Robson (Matt Wood): T36/37 100m & 200m

Katrina Hart (Rob Ellchuk): T36/37 100m & 200m

Jenny McLoughlin (Darrell Maynard):T36/37 100m & 200m

Stefanie Reid (Dan Pfaff): T44/46 100m & 200m

Shelly Woods (Pete Wyman): T53/54 800m & 1500m

Sophie Hancock (Shelley Quarin): F12/13/40 Shot

Victoria Silk (Ted Hawkins): F12/13/40 Shot   

Results from the UKA Disability Athletics Challenge meeting in Knowsley will be available soon on www.uka.org.uk  

For more information visit www.btparalympicworldcup.com

The UKA selection policy for the IPC Athletics World Championships is available now on the UKA website.