2023 IN REVIEW: JULY

World Para Athletics Championships, Paris, France

It was a superb Championships for the Great Britain and Northern Ireland as the team won 29 medals including 10 gold, eight silver and 11 bronze medals.

On day one, Gavin Drysdale (coach: David Phee, club: Red Star) and Rafi Solaiman (Phil Fleetwood, Charnwood) got the team off to a superb start as they won gold and silver respectively in the men’s T72 100m.

Day two saw Jonathan Broom-Edwards (Bethan Partridge, Newham and Essex Beagles) maintained his status as the globe’s very best as he won back-to-back World Para Athletics Championships titles in the T64 high jump. Elsewhere, Zac Shaw (Leon Baptiste, Cleethorpes) ran a personal best in the men’s T12 100m on his way to bronze, while Danny Sidbury (Chris Parsloe, Sutton & District) also won bronze in the T54 5000m.

Sabrina Fortune (Ryan Spencer-Jones / Ian Robinson, Deeside) was the next Briton to win back-to-back World Para Athletics Championships titles in Paris with a performance the global event has never seen before on a night when Sammi Kinghorn (Rodger Harkins, Red Star), Maria Lyle (Team East Lothian) and Sophie Hahn (Leon Baptiste, Charnwood) all won medals to keep the GB&NI team rolling.

Hollie Arnold (Blackheath and Bromley) underlined her claim to be arguably one of Great Britain & Northern Ireland’s best ever athletes as she navigated one of the most hotly contested World Para Athletics Championships finals in recent memory to win a remarkable fifth successive global title in the F46 javelin.

The following day, Hannah Cockroft (Paul Mosely, Leeds) stormed to her 20th major global title at the World Para Athletics Championships in France as part of an impressive British clean sweep in the women’s T34 100m final that saw Kare Adenegan (Job King, Coventry) claim a superb silver and Fabienne André a brilliant bronze. Olivia Breen (Aston Moore, City of Portsmouth) ensured the night ended in style with her own silver.

Sammi Kinghorn (Rodger Harkins, Red Star) regained her World Para Athletics Championships T53 100m title in supreme style, setting a new Championship record on a night when the British team claimed a further two medals with Sophie Hahn (Leon Baptiste, Charnwood) winning bronze in a relatively rare outing in the T38 200m.

Superb medals from Dan Pembroke (coach: David Turner, club: Windsor Slough Eton and Hounslow) [gold] Sammi Kinghorn (Rodger Harkins, Red Star) and Dan Greaves (coach: Zane Duquemin, club: Charnwood) [both bronze] made for a night to remember in the Charlety Stadium.

World title number 14 for Hannah Cockroft (Paul Moseley, Leeds) led the way for the Great Britain & Northern Ireland team on night nine of action in Paris, while there were unforgettable silver medal moments for Kare Adenegan (Job King, Coventry), Michael Jenkins (Ryan Spencer-Jones, Pembrokeshire) and the 4x100m Universal Relay team.

Ben Sandilands (Steven Doig, Fife) claimed arguably the British team’s most impressive gold yet on the final morning of the Championships in Paris, producing a completely unstoppable kick to claim the men’s T20 1500m title on debut, while Zak Skinner (Aston Moore, Loughborough Students) won a first major global medal after bronze in the men’s T13 long jump.

Later in the day, Aled Davies (coach: Ryan Spencer-Jones, club: Cardiff) completed a decade of dominance in the men’s F63 shot put becoming the ninth British athlete to win gold while a trio of bronze medals from Danny Sidbury (Chris Parsloe, Sutton & District), Kevin Santos (Mike Utting, City of Norwich) and Maria Lyle (Team East Lothian) ensured the British team end with a total of 29 medals.

European U23 Championships, Espoo, Finland

The Great Britain and Northern Ireland team hit the ground running on day one of the European U23 Championships in Espoo, Finland, with medals for Megan Keith [Gold – 5000m] and Serena Vincent [Silver – Shot Put] on the opening evening session.

This was followed up with two athletes reaching the podium in the men’s 5000m as Charles Hicks won gold and Will Barnicoat took home the bronze during the morning session. Superb performances from Jeremiah Azu and Yemi Mary John saw them claim European U23 titles in the men’s 100m and women’s 400m respectively, while Charlotte Payne and Keely Hodgkinson also reached the podium during the second evening session at the Championships

It was another enthralling day for the GB & NI team on the third day of action with two more gold medals added to the tally from the women’s 4x100m relay team and Alice Goodall in the women’s 10,000m.

Great Britain and Northern Ireland topped the medal table after a stunning final day for the team as Rory Leonard made it a clean sweep on long distance track titles with gold in the 5000m, and a silver and two bronzes were added to the final tally.

Ethan Hussey came through for silver in an entertaining men’s 800m contest, while there were bronze medals for Shannon Flockhart in the 1500m and the men’s 4x400m relay to round off a scintillating week for the team in Espoo, Finland as they topped the medal table for the first time in the Championships history.

UK Athletics Championships, Manchester

Taking place under grey skies and largely stormy weather, Zharnel Hughes (Glen Mills, Shaftesbury Barnet) and Molly Caudery (Stuart Caudery, Thames Valley) lit up proceedings as part of a stacked day of action on day one of the UK Athletics Championships in Manchester.

Hughes, Daryll Neita (Marco Airale, Cambridge Harriers), Keely Hodgkinson (Trevor Painter, Leigh) and Jazmin Sawyers (Aston Moore, City of Stoke) all starred on a stacked second and final day of action.

London Athletics Meet

Led by Zharnel Hughes’ (Glen Mills, Shaftesbury Barnet) astonishing take down of the long-standing British 200m record, the world’s best showed up in style on a day of world-class athletics at the sold-out London Athletics Meet in Stratford, London.

On a day which once again showed that London helps athletes bring their very best, continent records also fell in the women’s 400m hurdles, men’s 200m, women’s 5000m and women’s 800m.