2023 IN REVIEW: JANUARY-FEBRUARY

After a super 2023 for our athletes across all disciplines in the sport, we turn the clock back to January and February with athletes excelling indoors, on the cross country, and our para athletes opening their outdoor season in Dubai.

World records fall for Hannah Cockroft in Sharjah

It was a fruitful few days for decorated global champion Hannah Cockroft as she set four world records at a meeting in Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates. The times of 200m – 29.22, 400m – 52.80, 800m – 1:44.43 and 1500m – 3:21.06, were all significant improvements.

The 400m, 800m and 1500m times remain official world record marks at the end of the 2023 season.

At the World Para Athletics Grand Prix in Dubai later that month, Nathan Maguire (Ste Hoskins, Kirkby) posted one of his quickest ever times in the 800m as he clocked 1:31.76 for second behind Marcel Hug (SUI).

Maguire and Danny Sidbury would then be involved in one of the quickest 1500m races in history posting times of 2:46.06 and 2:46.45 respectively.

World Indoor Tour Birmingham

Gudaf Tsegay (ETH), Grant Holloway (USA), Keely Hodgkinson (coach: Trevor Painter; club: Leigh), Neil Gourley (Stephen Haas; Giffnock North) and Dina Asher-Smith (John Blackie; Blackheath & Bromley) were all on record-breaking form as Birmingham hosted a World Indoor Tour Final to remember with seven athletes walking away with overall victory at the Utilita Arena.

Hodgkinson improved her 800m indoor British record to 1:57.18, while Asher-Smith ran 7.03 over the 60m. Neil Gourley improved the 1500m indoor record to 3:32.38 in a frantic race.

There were also meeting records for Tsegay [3000m – 8:16.69] and Holloway [60m Hurdles – 7.35].

Here is our full event report.

National records and world bests fall indoors

There were some spectacular performances from several athletes during the indoor season with three national records and a world best.

Keely Hodgkinson improved the world 600m best to 1:23.41 at a meeting in Manchester, while on the same weekend there were British records for Dina Asher-Smith [60m – 7.04] and Sam Atkin [3000m – 7:31.97]. Asher-Smith and Hodgkinson would improve their British records later in February.

There was also an outright British record for Morgan Lake who cleared 1.99m for the first time in the high jump at a meeting in Hustopece, Czech Republic.

World Athletics Cross Country Championships, Bathurst, Australia

The first major global Championships of the season saw GB & NI athletes take on the rest of the world in hot and stormy Bathurst.

The U20 men finished fifth in the team competition with Edward Bird the highest finisher in 18^th, while the mixed relay team ended their campaign in sixth position. The senior women’s quartet were also sixth in the team standings with Abbie Donnelly the top finisher in 25^th, while the U20 women were also sixth in the overall standings.

Our report from Australia is available to read HERE.

European Champion Clubs Cup Cross Country

In the annual club cross country spectacle on the European stage, Central AC were the highest-placed British team in the senior men’s race as they finished 12th overall, pipping Leeds City who were 14th on points. In the senior mixed relay, Leeds City ended the race in 11th place.

UK Athletics Indoor Championships

Among the highlights on day one were Daryll Neita and Reece Prescod sealing the 60m titles in 7.17 seconds and 6.54s respectively.

While on day two with Ellie Baker producing one of the best performances in UK Athletics Indoor Championships history as she powered to 1500m gold in a time of 4:06.73 minutes, bettering Zola Budd’s Championship record mark from 1986.

Paralympic champion Aled Davies (Ryan Spencer-Jones; Cardiff) broke an indoor world record in the F63 shot put, Callum Wilkinson (Enfield & Haringey) set a world lead in the men’s 3000m race walk and Jazmin Sawyers (Aston Moore; City of Stoke), Neil Gourley (Ben Thomas; Giffnock North) and Melissa Courtney-Bryant (Rob Denmark; Poole) followed Baker’s lead in booking a place at the European Indoor Championships with gold.

Day one and day two reports are available via the links.

UK Athletics Indoor Combined Events Championships

Lauren Evans (Fyn Corcoran, Cardiff) accumulated a personal best points score of 4043 on her way to the pentathlon title in Birmingham. While, in the men’s heptathlon, Lewis Church (David Hull, Tonbridge) won the UK Championships gold medal with a score of 5529 points.

Dynamic New Athletics (DNA) Indoor Match

The Great Britain and Northern Ireland U20 team were triumphant at the Dynamic New Athletics (DNA) Indoor Match in Madrid, Spain.

It all came down to the final event in The Hunt where GB & NI’s mixed distance relay team ensured they crossed the line first ahead of Czech Republic and Spain.

David Race (Kyle Bennett, Gateshead) led things off on the first leg which was 600m, before Leg 2 (400m) Jessica Astill (Paul Keeble, Stevenage & North Herts) picked up the baton. (Leg 3 200m) Dean Patterson (David Watson, Glasgow Sch of Sport) and (Leg 4 800m) Ava Lloyd (Trevor Painter, Wigan & District) completed the task at hand to give GB & NI the team victory at this meeting.

Read our event report HERE.

Perth Cross Challenge

The year began with the fourth leg of the 2022/23 British Athletics Cross Challenge series taking place at Scone Palace in Perth.

There were victories for Megan Keith (coach: Ross Cairns, club: Inverness) and Jamie Crowe (Derek Easton, Central AC).

Read our event report HERE.