DAVID WEIR SECURES T54 5000M BRITISH RECORD AT DUBAI GP

Following a delayed start to the World Para Athletics Grand Prix in Dubai due to stormy weather, several British athletes starred at the first major GP of the 2024 season over the last three days.

Producing one of the performances of the meet, coming in one of the final races of the competition, Paralympic legend David Weir (coach: Jenny Archer, club: Weir Archer Academy) and Danny Sidbury (Christine Parsloe, Sutton & District) delivered their best ever 5000m displays to go inside the previous T54 world record in a race won by Marcel Hug (SUI).

Hug lowered his previous best to 9:13.81 but Weir rolled back the years on the track to set a huge PB to finish just 0.02s behind, with Sidbury clocking 9:13.92 in the fastest race of all-time.

Weir has been in record breaking form over the last couple of weeks in Dubai, setting lifetime bests in the 800m [1:30.45] and 1500m [2:45.02] too.

On day one of the Championships, Sammi Kinghorn (Rodger Harkins, Red Star) – who broke the T53 1500m world record at the Sharjah Open last week – improved her personal best in the T53 100m; an event she currently holds the world title. She clocked a time of 15.56 (1.5) behind Catherine Debrunner (SUI) who posted a time of 15.49.

In the T34 100m, with a strong wind blowing, Hannah Cockroft (Paul Mosely, Leeds) won in a time of 16.65 (2.4) while there was a wind-assisted PB for Fabienne Andre (Weir Archer Academy) (18.49), while in the 800m, Cockroft set a time of 1:48.50 with Andre coming home with another PB in 2:03.19.

Elsewhere on the track, there was a lifetime best for Mel Woods (Rodger Harkins, Red Star) in the T54 100m as she clocked 16.67 (1.8) to add to an impressive set of results from her Dubai series.

There was also a career best for Eden Rainbow-Cooper (Arno Mul, Red Velvet Racing Team) in the T54 400m as she crossed the line in 56.05.

Paralympic T38 100m champion Thomas Young (Joe McDonnell, Charnwood) opened his season with a wind-assisted 11.12 to kickstart his 2024 outdoor campaign, while Tokyo medallist Columba Blango (Chris Zah, Shaftesbury Barnet) ran his first outdoor 400m of the season and opened his account with a 50.52 clocking.

Results