HAHN SETS T38 100M WORLD RECORD AS GB JUNIORS SHINE AT LOUGHBOROUGH INTERNATIONAL

Sophie Hahn (coach: Leon Baptiste; club: Charnwood) produced a flawless run to set a new T38 100m world record as the British Junior team excelled at Loughborough International.

The Paralympic, world, European and Commonwealth gold medallist got powered into an early lead and showed her rivals a clean pair of heels to stop the clock in 12.43s (1.3), shaving 0.01s off her previous best. Hahn’s race was only her third 100m of the season and she hopes that it will set her up for more success as the year progresses.

“I’m so surprised and I can’t believe that just happened,” she said. “I didn’t expect that time going into the race. This is only my third 100m race of the season and it shows that I’m in such great form.

“I wanted to push on even further but at the end I just ran out of fuel so hopefully there’s more to come this season. Training is going really well and I’m really excited to see what I can do next.”

In the same race, fellow London 2017 world champion Sophie Kamlish (Rob Ellchuk; Bristol & West) set a new season’s best of 13.33s, while in the men’s race, Ola Abidogun (Grant Barker; Horwich) taking victory in a season’s best 11.19s (0.6), with Zak Skinner (Aston Moore; Tonbridge) holding off Zac Shaw (Leon Baptiste; Cleethorpes) for second in 11.31s, the latter clocking 11.33s.

Alongside Hahn’s performance, Sophie McKinna (Mike Winch; Great Yarmouth) hit the world championship standard for the shot put and seven British Under-20 athletes achieved the qualifying standard for July’s European Under-20 Championships in Borås, Sweden, as the British Junior team finished third overall.

McKinna’s first round throw of 18.04m secured her the qualifying standard for the IAAF World Championships in Doha, prompting wild celebrations as she left the circle and was thrilled to hit throw the standard.

The Great Yarmouth athlete said: “I came here to prove a point today and to be able to do that in the first round was fantastic. I got the job done and I’m happy. This is only my second competition of the year and that’s only my second time over 18.00m and I’m hoping that trend continues.

“I’ve got a few weeks until my next competition and I still have to get sharper and sort some things out technically. I’ve come here and done what I wanted to do and needed to do.”

For the juniors, Jeremiah Azu (Helen Patricia James; Cardiff) and Amy Hunt (Joe McDonnell; Charnwood) held off strong challenges in the 100m to win their respective match races in 10.27s (1.1) and 11.31s (0.3), both improving their own European Under-20 leading marks.

Hunt completed a treble on the day having taken victory in the 4x100m relay earlier in the morning and adding a 23.17s (-1.0) 200m personal best to move top of the 2019 British junior rankings, clocking the European Under-20 standard in the process.

Speaking after her 100m run, Hunt said: “It went so well at the start, I pushed out really well and came into my running and maintained it up to the line. I saw the clock and I was ecstatic and I couldn’t believe it.

“It feels like all my hard work is starting to pay off, I’ve got a personal best in my last couple of races and I think it’s realistic for me to be a medal contender at European Juniors, provided I can produce at the trials next month.”

Ethan Brown (Lloyd Cowan; Blackheath & Bromley) hit the 400m standard as he took victory in the match race in 46.88s, 0.01s outside his personal best, with Ben Pattison following suit in hitting the standard in the 400m guest race, clocking 47.07s for the second fastest time on the day.

Lucy Hadaway (Matt Barton; City of York) produced a season’s best of 6.34m as she won the women’s long jump, securing maximum points for the British Juniors, with Holly Mills (Laura Turner-Alleyne; Andover AC), in her first of three events on the day, producing her best jump since 2017 to take second place with 6.29m, also the European Under-20 standard.

Also in the field, Sarah Omoregie (Gareth Lease; Cardiff) threw a huge personal best of 15.38m to take third for the British Juniors, putting her 11^th on the all-time British junior rankings. Two junior athletes hit the men’s 1500m qualifying times as Josh Lay (Anthony Love; Rugby & Northampton) and Thomas Keen (Mark Vile; Cambridge and Coleridge) clocked 3:43.26 and 3:43.97 respectively, both achieving huge PBs.

The women’s 4x100m relay team of Lakeisha Owusu-Junior (Matthew Thomas; Herne Hill), Amy Hunt (Joe McDonnell; Charnwood), Georgina Adam (Jonas Dodoo; Lincoln Wellington) and Jazmine Moss (Bruce Horsburgh; Gateshead) stormed to victory in 44.51s for the first maximum of the day.

British debutant Ben Hawkes (Eric Davison; Worthing) added another maximum points haul to the tally with a first-round season’s best of 70.52m to win the men’s hammer throw, while Lewis Byng (Stuart Carlaw; Stratford-upon-Avon) earned five points in the shot put, propelling the implement out to 17.61m, with Alessandro Schenini (David Watson; Giffnock North) also finishing second in the men’s long jump with a 7.37m effort.

Holly Page (Jason Marchant; Dartford) took second place in the 3000m steeplechase in a season’s best 10:30.47, with Ben West (Kyle Bennett; MK Distance Project) front-running himself to a personal best of 8:16.16 as he took fourth place in the 3000m match race on his British track debut.

Both 4x400m teams took second place in their respective races with Ethan Brown, Ben Pattison, William Doyle (Roy Buchanan; Pitreavie) and Lewis Davey (Karl Eve; Peterborough) stopped the clock in 3:11.28, with the women’s quartet of Louise Evans (Linford Christie; Blackheath & Bromley), Natasha Harrison (Alex O’Gorman; Stockport), Holly Mills (Laura Turner-Alleyne; Andover) and Hannah Foster (Craig Andrew; Shaftesbury Barnet) notching 3:41.62.

Elsewhere on the day, Charlotte Payne (Bob Broadbridge; Newbury) increased her hammer personal best by more than two metres with a 61.83m effort that moves her to third on the all-time junior list.

Josh Zeller (Ken Spencer; Bracknell AC) backed up his 13.58s 110m hurdles performance with victory in the guest under-20 race, clocking 13.62s (-0.2) to take the win by more than three tenths from Jack Sumners (Paul Bearman; Stratford-upon-Avon).

In the field, Harry Hughes (Mark Roberson; Suffolk) once again improved his personal best as he threw an enormous 80.32m to win the men’s javelin, moving himself to up to fourth on the all-time British list for an under-23 athlete and the first time an athlete has thrown over 80.00m in seven years.