20 June 2011

Aviva GB & NI athletes recorded four new World Records at the US Paralympic National Track and Field Championships in Florida at the weekend (17-19 June).

T34 current World Record holder and double World Champion Hannah Cockroft (coach: Peter Eriksson) set the standard early in the programme with victory in the T33/34/51/52 200m in 32.01 (+1.7m/s), reducing her previous global best by over a second.

She also improved her 400m world best with 1:02.52 in the 400m.

World Championships silver medallist Mickey Bushell (coach: Fred Periac) clocked the second fastest 100m time ever by a wheelchair athlete in any classification with 13.84 (+2.0m/s) in qualification for the men’s T53 100m final. He went on to take overall victory in a slower time of 14.76 into a slight headwind.

World champion and former Paralympic Games gold medallist Dan Greaves (coach: Jim Edwards) continued his outstanding run of form when exceeding his own F44 discus World Record with a best distance of 59.85m for victory ahead of USA’s Jeremy Campbell.  

“It’s outrageous, it’s (60m) so close it’s unbelievable,” said Greaves, winner of the recent Paralympic World Cup in a then-World Record of 59.27m. “I can’t get much closer.”

“The competition was great, especially having Jeremy (Beijing Paralympic Games gold medallist Jeremy Campbell) in there. The plan was to come over here and mix it with the best in the world and the fact that he PB’d too shows the strength of the event.”

UKA Head Coach (Paralympics) Peter Eriksson said: “Overall it wasn’t as high quality as I’d have hoped for in every event group, but for these guys the competition was good.

“I’m really happy with how it’s gone. When you look at four World Records, especially on a track that’s not particularly fast and in hot conditions, it shows what these guys can do when it matters.”

Full results are available through the following link: http://usparalympics.org/2011trackandfieldnationalchampionships/results