15th July 2019
WEEKEND UPDATE - 15/07/19
Away from the European U23 Championships, there was plenty of athletics action going on over the past week. We round it up, here.
World University Games, Napoli, July 12-13
Jess Judd (Blackburn, Mick Judd) won gold in the 5000m on day five at the World University Games on Friday.
Judd stormed a victory with a time of 15:45.82, well ahead of her opponents Nicole Hutchinson (CAN), who ran 15:48.06 for silver, and Julia Van Velthoven (NED) who took third place with 15:51.75.
Welsh Athletics Senior Championships, July 13-14
At the Welsh Senior Championships over the weekend, Chris Baker (Sale Harriers Manchester, Graham Ravenscroft) cleared a season’s best in the high jump, reaching 2.27m, winning the competition overall.
Olivia Breen (Aston Moore; City of Portsmouth) also set a personal best in the long jump with a leap of 4.88m, whilst also running her fastest season opener in the 100m in a time of 13.27s. The world champion added 2cm to her best set in the Commonwealth final back in 2018.
English Schools, Birmingham, 12-13 July
The English Schools Championships took place at Birmingham’s Alexander Stadium over the weekend with the new generation of athletes showing their talent.
Joel Pascall-Menzie (Newham & Essex Beagles) broke the 100m inter-boys record with a time of 10.48, beating Mark Lewis Francis’ championship record of 10.54. He then went on to lead Essex to victory in the 4x100m as the team also broke a championship record in the heats, and again in the final with a time of 41.04.
Shot putter, Nana Gyedu (Blackheath & Bromley, John Hillier) won her third consecutive title, whilst also breaking Divine Oladipo’s championship record of 14.92m, with a throw of 15.06m to win the inter-girl’s category by well over a metre.
Emilie Oakden (Lewes, Richard Pilling) broke the championship record with 3.62m in the pole vault, taking her to third in the UK under-15 girls all-time rank.
Senior Tom Hewson (Andover, Mark Bradford) won his third title in the javelin with a personal best of 70.80m, categorising it as the second-best throw in the UK field this year under any age group.
On the track, Mia McIntosh (Dacorum & Tring, Deborah Keenleyside) broke the championship record as well as setting a British under-15 record in the 75m hurdles with a time of 10.75.
Middlesex junior girls also broke the 4x100m championship record, clocking 46.46.
Lee Valley Open, 14 July
Nathan Douglas jumped his best mark since 2015 in the triple jump over the weekend. In a competition that saw five athletes jump over 16 metres, the Birchfield athlete leapt a best of 16.88 (1.4).
Kladno Memorial, Czech Republic, 13 July
At the Kladno Memorial Athletics Meet in the Czech Republic on Saturday, Ashleigh Nelson (City of Stoke, Michael Afilaka) ran her best 100m in over two years with a season’s best of 11.34, which led to her taking the win.
Elsewhere, Harry Coppell (Wigan & District, John Mitchell) won the pole vault with a huge personal best of 5.61m, adding 11cm to his original best height.
Snowdonia Marathon, 14 July
Nick Swinburn (Lindsay Dunn; Morpeth) and Kirsteen Welch (Norman Wilson; Sidmouth) were winners at the Snowdonia Marathon which acted as a trial race for the World Long Distance Mountain Running championships which will be held in Argentina later this year.
Swinburn was the male winner, crossing the line in 3 hours 18 minutes and 10 seconds, with Seb Batchelor (City of York) over a minute behind in 3:19:45. Jack Wood (ilkley) was the third athlete home in 3:23:10.
Welch was the first female athlete across the line in a time of 4:07.52, with Sara Willhoit (Shrewsbury) and Georgia Tindley (Hunter Bog Trotters) next to follow in 4:10:15 and 4:13:54 respectively.
Grossglockner Berglauf – WMRA World Cup, Austria, 14 July
Following a fourth-place finish at the European Mountain Running Championships, Sarah Tunstall was victorious at the third stage of the WMRA World Cup over the 12.67km race.
Racing on Austria’s highest mountain, the Kendal athlete won the women’s race, dominating from the early stages and winning by over a minute in the end, 1:26:23 to Kenya’s Purity Kajuju Gitonga 1:27:28.
Men’s World Cup leader, Andrew Douglas (Sophie Dunnett; Inverclyde), was fourth in 1:13:50.
Sunset Tour, Azusa, USA, July 9
Josh Kerr (Edinburgh) stormed to the top of the Power of 10 rankings for the 800m in California with a great personal best run of 1:45.35 for third. Previously occupied by Max Burgin (Brian Burgin; Halifax), Kerr ran strongly to smash his career best by 0.71, exactly one month after last setting it. He was joined in the race by Neil Gourley (Mark Rowland; Giffnock North), who was sixth in 1:46.12.
Elsewhere, European indoor 3000m silver medallist Chris O’Hare (Terrence Mahon; Edinburgh) competed over 1500m for the first time outdoors this season, after outings in the 5,000m and mile, and posted a 3:36.57 for second.
Spitzen Leichtathletik 2019, Lucerne, Switzerland, July 9
Sarah McDonald (David Harmer; Birchfield Harriers) maintained her fine form as claimed her second win of the season over 800m in Lucerne.
McDonald, victorious at the Watford BMC meet at the end of June inside in the world 800m standard in 2:00.15, proved her worth once again she took the win by more than half a second in 2:00.84. Compatriot and European indoor champion Shelayna Oskan-Clarke (Jon Bigg; Windsor Slough Eton & Hounslow) was fourth in 2:02.32.
Elsewhere, Jodie Williams (Stuart McMillan; Herts Phoenix) also showed her consistency as she clocked 23.01 for fourth in the A final of the 200m, having had a run out in the 100m and clocking 11.39.
It is the third time Williams has ducked inside the world standard for the half lap following 22.75 and 22.92 outings already this year. British champion Beth Dobbin (Leon Baptiste; Edinburgh) joined Williams in that 200m A final and clocked 23.11 for fifth on only her second outing of the season.
Elsewhere Chris McAlister (Marina Armstrong; Thames Valley) ran a superb 49.62 equal personal best in the 400m hurdles to keep him close to the mix for the World Championships later this year. McAlister hit the same time he did in Geneva last month for second in Lucerne with 49.30 the Doha target. David King (James Hillier; City of Plymouth) won his B final in the 110m hurdles in 13.68.
Gyulai Istvan Memorial, Szekesfehervar, Hungary, July 9
European bronze medallist Shara Proctor (Rana Reider; Birchfield Harriers), Andy Butchart (Central) and Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake (Lance Brauman; Newham & Essex Beagles) all recorded season’s bests in Hungary.
Proctor reached her best form the season so far in jumping 6.68m for fourth in the long jump, placing her equal top of the Power of 10 rankings. She also hit 6.65m, showing her good consistency in the week.
Butchart meanwhile strengthened his grip as British No.1 in the 3000m with a 7:43.03 in Hungary, knocking over half a second off his previous outing at the distance at the Oslo Diamond League. He also placed fourth.
World champion Mitchel-Blake is also starting to find form with a 20.50 clocking in the 200m for sixth while Andrew Pozzi (Santiago Antunez; Stratford) was in consistent form himself with a 13.32 for third in the 110m hurdles.
Meghan Beesley (Michael Baker; Birchfield Harriers), already in possession of the world qualifying standard in the 400m hurdles, ran 57.16 for sixth.
Meeting Internazionale Di Atletica Leggera, Lignano, Italy, July 9
European indoor silver medallist Jamie Webb (Adrian Webb; Liverpool Harriers) ran a season’s best on the way to a fine victory in the 800m in Italy.
Webb, who performed so well indoors culminating in continental honours in Glasgow, clocked 1:46.16 to win by a full second. Elsewhere, Alexandra Bell (Andrew Henderson; Pudsey & Bramley) was third in the women’s 800m in 2:02.66.
BMC Gold Standard Races, Watford, July 10
Elliot Giles (Jon Bigg; Birchfield Harriers) claimed his second win of the outdoor season with a 1:46.05 in Watford, his second quickest 800m.
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