24th February 2020
WEEKEND UPDATE - 24/02/2020
All Star Perche, Clermont, France, February 23
Harry Coppell (coach: Scott Simpson; club: Wigan & District) capped off a strong indoor season in France as he successfully cleared an equal personal best of 5.80m to take fifth place.
The meet, hosted by Renaud Lavillenie, saw the Briton fail his first attempt at the height but returned to the vault to secure fifth place at the second time of asking.
Training partner Holly Bradshaw (Scott Simpson; Blackburn) continued her progression through the indoor season with a season’s best mark of 4.66m, showing a clean card all the way through her competition until falling foul at 4.74m as she finished in fourth place.
Maraton de Sevilla, Seville, Spain, February 23
Jonathan Mellor (Steve Vernon; Liverpool) sliced almost two-and-a-half minutes off his previous marathon best to achieve the Olympic qualifying standard as he was the first Brit home in Seville. Mellor’s race was measured perfectly and he cut the tape in 2:10:04, almost ninety seconds inside the qualifying standard. The showing also moves him to the top of the British rankings for 2020.
England U15/U17/U20 Championships, Sheffield, February 22-23
Kelechi Aguocha (Fuzz Caan; Blackheath & Bromley) bagged himself a second World Athletics U20 Championship qualifying mark as he cleared 2.17m to win the U20 men’s high jump in Sheffield. Also in the field, Serena Vincent (Bronwin Carter; City of Portsmouth) put 42cm on her shot put personal best, winning with a distance of 15.47m that saw her achieve a World Junior qualifying mark.
There was a championship record for Lewis Byng (Stuart Carlaw; Stratford-upon-Avon) in the U20 men’s shot put as he launched the six kilo implement out to 18.69m, winning by more than a metre from Andrew Knight (David Callaway; Southampton), while Daniel Falode (Guy Spencer; Cambridge) followed up his recent PB of 15.90m with an excellent 15.77m for gold.
ECAA Saucony English National Cross Country Championships, Nottingham, February 22
Calum Johnson (John Stephenson; Gateshead) and Anna-Emelie Moller (DEN) took the English senior national titles in Nottingham, with Zakariya Mahamed (Southampton AC) and Amelia Quirk (Mick Woods; Bracknell) coming away with the junior crowns.
Johnson asserted his authority as the laps wore on and moved to the head of the men’s field, opening up a big gap to Joe Steward (Harry Kelly; East Cheshire) to win in 43:36 to Steward’s 43:59. In the women’s equivalent, Moller’s class on grass continued to show, winning by 21 seconds in 32:59, with Jess Judd (Mick Judd; Blackburn) second in 33:20, while Bronwen Owen (Andrew Henderson; Leeds City) claimed third place in 33:45.
Quirk required a strong kick to hold off Izzy Fry (Mick Woods; Newbury), the duo cutting the tape in 25:33 and 25:38 respectively. Giorgia Chattwood (Bill Foster; Wolverhampton & Bilston) rounded off the podium in third position in 26:03.
World Indoor Tour Madrid, Spain, February 21
Andrew Pozzi (Santiago Antunez; Stratford-upon-Avon) rounded off his indoor season in perfect fashion as he extended his unbeaten run to four meetings as he won in Madrid.
Pozzi cruised to victory in his heat in 7.55s and found another gear in the final, topping the clock in a season’s best 7.48s, a shade outside his PB of 7.43s, set in 2017.
Ojie Edoburun (Steve Fudge; Shaftesbury Barnet) came home sixth in the final of the men’s 60m as the other British man in action. He came through his heat in 6.67s as one of the fastest non-automatic qualifiers and clocked 6.69s in the final.
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