2023 IN REVIEW: JUNE

Zharnel Hughes breaks 100m British record

Hughes (Glen Mills, Shaftesbury Barnet) broke the 30-year-old men’s 100m British record with a sublime 9.83 (1.4) clocking at the USATF NYC Grand Prix in New York, USA on Saturday 24 June.

Linford Christie’s long-standing record – 9.87 – set at the 1993 World Championships – fell at the World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meeting. It also moved him to second behind Lamont Marcell Jacobs in the European all-time list.

Read more HERE.

European 10,000m Cup, Pace, France

The men’s race saw USA-based Thomas George (Richey Hansen, Birchfield Harriers) come through the field well to finish seventh overall in a time of 28:23.06. Abbie Donnelly (Rob Lewis, Lincoln Wellington) was the first Briton in the women’s race finishing in 13th, the time coming in at 33:04.40. Read our event report HERE.

World Mountain and Trail Running Championships, Austria

The senior women’s vertical team won Great Britain and Northern Ireland’s first medal of the World Mountain and Trail Running Championships on the opening day of competition in Innsbruck-Stubai in Austria.

There was further success, this time in the trail races as the men’s team won the Short Trail Race gold medal after a superb set of performances, including individual silver for Thomas Roach (self-coached, Lewes AC).

There were two gold and one silver medal won by the Great Britain and Northern Ireland squad to end the Championships in successful fashion.

Rebecca Flaherty (coach: Karen Glerum, club: Bingley) – world silver medallist in 2022 – went one better in 2023 as she won the U20 women’s classic (up-and-down) mountain running race, and also spearheaded the team to the gold medal. The senior women were also in medal-winning form as they took the team silver after strong performances by the squad.

European Team Championships, Silesia, Poland

Day one of competition in Silesia saw a second-place finish for Hannah Nuttall (Helen Clitheroe, Charnwood) in the women’s 5000m, as well as third positions for Jeremiah Azu (Marco Airale, Cardiff) and Zak Seddon (Geoff Wightman, Bracknell) in the men’s 100m and 3000m steeplechase respectively, all adding crucial points to the team total.

Day two saw some strong performances from the GB & NI team including a second place for Issy Boffey in the 800m and a PB for Jade Ive in the pole vault.

The Great Britain and Northern Ireland squad were fifth in the final standings. 21.10m earned Scott Lincoln (Paul Wilson, City of York) a brilliant second place in a stacked men’s shot put competition on the final day of action while Bianca Williams (Enfield & Haringey) ran her quickest 200m in five years as she claimed an important second place and 15 points for the British team.

Mannheim International

The Great Britain and Northern Ireland juniors excelled on day one of the Mannheim International with a number of superb performances including Teddy Wilson (coach: Tamunonengiye-Ofori Ossai, club: BFT Track Academy) setting a European U18 record, and several athletes improving their personal bests.

Wilson was in the form of his life as he equalled the European U18 100m record with a personal best of 10.26 (0.6), improving his previous best of 10.44. The mark consigned Jeff Erius’ (FRA) 10.27 mark to the history books, and also eclipsed Mark Lewis-Francis’ UK under 17 record in the process.

The Great Britain and Northern Ireland juniors produced some fine displays on the final day of action at the Mannheim International in Germany.

The 4x100m and 4x400m relay teams were in superb form as athletes on the pathway, as part of the British Athletics Futures Relay programme, reaped the rewards of their hard work to set some impressive times. Find out more in the day two round-up HERE.