SKINNER AND CHIASSARO ON-FORM IN BEDFORD

Zak Skinner (coach: Aston Moore), Richard Chiassaro (Jenni Banks) and Nathan Maguire (Ste Hoskins) were among the country’s leading para athletes to star at the British Universities & Colleges Sport (BUCS) Outdoor Championships.

Richard Chiassaro was racing as a GB invite, and just missed out on a personal best over 800m, stopping the clock at 1:32.79, just 0.21 seconds off his best ever time over the distance. Compatriot and fellow T54 athlete Nathan Maguire was second in 1:36.65. Nevertheless, it was world T34 bronze medallist Isaac Towers (Pete Wyman / Jenni Banks) who took the BUCS title in 1:47.26, winning on Raza points.

Ben Rowlings (Ian Mirfin) took Stirling University’s first BUCS title for a number of years in the 100m wheelchair final, clocking 16.82 (-0.2) to pip Towers in that one.

Skinner opened his season in the men’s 100m ambulant final. The T13 athlete – for those with a visual impairment – clocked 11.58 (-0.4). He returned to the field later in the championships to leap 6.38m in the ambulant long jump to make it a double victory for Loughborough University. Amar Aichoun (Lumar Sylvester) won the men’s ambulant 200m in 24.81 (-1.1)

Vanessa Wallace (Alison O’Riordan) threw a personal best in the F33 discus of 18.17m, and was just outside her lifetime best in the shot put, launching it to 7.17m.

Elsewhere in the field, Commonwealth finalist Josh Bain took the ambulant shot-put title with a best effort of 11.16m and also added the discus with 40.47m. Amy Wareing (Jim Edwards) achieved the same double in the women’s events with 7.72m and 25.30m respectively.

Full results here.