29th January 2018

WEEKEND UPDATE

FPSG Scottish Athletics Indoor Championships, Glasgow, 28 January

Laura Muir (coach: Andy Young) and Zoey Clark (Eddie McKenna) both set Scottish records on a night of impressive performances at the Emirates Arena in Glasgow.

Clark was first up over 200m where she powered home to stop the clock at 23.58 revising the previous record that has stood for 22 years. Afterwards, she commented: ‘I am absolutely thrilled with that time.’

“I knew I was in good shape and to break the Scottish indoor record at 200m is very pleasing. I wasn’t tempting fate or feeling complacent, but I actually looked it up the other day and saw that Melanie Neef held the record at 23.62. I thought, with the shape I am in after Florida, that it might be possible and I even held back a bit in the heat to try and save a bit more for the final.

“It’s a great start to 2018 and gives me a lot of confidence for 400m runs to come and Gold Coast 2018 is definitely the priority. The World Indoors isn’t really in the plans but I guess we will wait and see how things go at the British Champs.”

Next up was Muir, and she delivered another fine piece of gutsy front-running over 800m, stopping the clock at 1.59.69. Only really pulling clear of Mhairi Hendry (William Parker), who set a fantastic outright personal best of 2.02.41 herself, over the final 200m lap, Muir bettered Lynsey Sharp’s old mark and set the fastest time in the world this year.

“I thought that if I could get close to my indoor PB, which was 2.00.57, then I would be really happy. But to break two minutes and get the Scottish record back from Lynsey I am just really happy. Lynsey and I do seem to be trading that record around all the time,” said Muir.

“I am not thinking about the 800m right now for indoors, so to be running times like that bodes really well. It is a wee bit of surprise to get that kind of time. I couldn’t believe it when I saw 1.59!”

Elsewhere, World Para Athletics silver medallist Jonathan Broom-Edwards (Paul Harrison) began his 2018 with a 2.09m clearance, his first recorded mark using a new technique. Elsewhere, home favourite Maria Lyle (Jamie Bowie) clocked 9.40 in the 60m, narrowly outside her personal best.

Results

ISTAF Indoor Berlin, Germany, 26 January

Andy Pozzi (Benke Blomkvist) produced a brilliant winning run in Berlin in 7.58secs to get his year off to a perfect start. After a 2017 indoor campaign that saw him win nine out of nine races, including taking the European Indoor title, Pozzi has his sights firmly on the World Indoor Championships in Birmingham. In the long jump Jazmin Sawyers was seventh with a best of 6.31m.

Results

Vienna Indoor Classic, Austria, 27 January

Eilidh Doyle (Brian Doyle) was the pick of the pops competing in Vienna over the weekend as she set a 52.34 season’s best to win the 400m and go inside the World Indoor Championships qualifying mark. Jamie Webb (Adrian Webb) and Philip Sesemann (Andrew Henderson) were both winners for England, posting 800m and 1500m season’s bests of 1.47.33 and 3.44.18 respectively. In the field Scott Lincoln (Paul Wilson) and Rachel Wallader (Richard Woodhall) won their shot put competitions with bests of 18.54m and 16.58m.

Results

Dr Sander Invitational, New York, USA, 26 January

Charlie Grice (Jon Bigg) kick-started his 2018 indoor season with a solid 3:58.31 mile performance, good for fifth amongst a strong field in New York. In the men’s 3000m Oregon University student James West set a new lifetime best as he finished ninth in a strong field in 7.58.26.

Results

Czech Indoor Gala, Ostrava, Czech Republic, 25 January

Bianca Williams (Lloyd Cowan) revised her 60m lifetime best in a great competition in Ostrava. Fourth in her heat in 7.41, the 200m specialist set a fine 7.32 personal best in the final, good for sixth. There was also an impressive personal best for Finette Agyapong (Coral Nourrice), the Newham athlete running 7.36 in her heat, before posting a 37.74 season’s best over 300m.

On the men’s side, Kyle de Escofet (Andy Paul) posted a season’s best of 6.64 for fifth in the 60m final, as his indoor campaign starts to gather pace. In the 3000m Zak Seddon and Robbie Fitzgibbon (Jon Bigg) were 10th and 11th with times of 8.04.32 and 8.07.20 respectively.

Results

Vault Manchester, Sportcity, 27 January

Adam Hague (Trevor Fox) continued his comeback from injury with a 5.45m clearance to take victory in Manchester, adding 5cm to his opening mark last weekend.

Results

Kingston, Jamaica, 27 January

Over at his training base in Kingston, Zharnel Hughes (Glen Mills) rounded off a dramatic week off the track, with a top class 20.28 (0.8) outdoor 200m to win by some margin.

Results: Link to follow

Welsh Indoor Championships, Cardiff, 27 January

Sally Peake (Scott Simpson) broke the Championship Best Performance with a 4.27m clearance to take the Welsh Indoor pole vault title, whilst youngster Molly Caudery (Stuart Caudery) was second with an indoor personal best of 4.17m. Sam Gordon (Matt Elias) and Imani Lansiquot (Steve Fudge) took the 60m titles in 6.71 and 7.41 respectively.

Results: Link to follow

London Indoor Games, Lee Valley, 28 January

Ojie Edoburun (Steve Fudge) opened his season with a pair of quality runs over 60m, clocking 6.61 and 6.58 to go straight to the top of the Power of 10 rankings. Andrew Robertson also produced a season’s best of 6.74, whilst U20 Kristal Awuah (Matthew Thomas) set a personal best of 7.39 to win the junior event. In the women’s 60mH Megan Marrs (Jerzy Maciukiewicz) twice revised her personal best, her second run of 8.26 putting her top of the Power of 10.

Results

Midland Cross Country Championships, Nottingham, 27 January

Alex Brecker (Geoffrey James) made it a hat-trick of Midlands Cross Country title as he broke the tape in Nottingham at the challenging Wollaton Park venue.

Results: Link to follow

Northern Cross Country Championships, Leeds, 27 January

There were a pair of surprise winners at the Northern Championships on a challenging course in Leeds, Carl Avery (Lindsay Dunn) and Scot Mhairi MacLennan (John Lees) taking the spoils, with Lauren Howarth (Steve Vernon) second in the women’s race. Emile Cairess (Phil Townsend) was a runaway winner in the U20 men’s event, whilst it was a similar outcome for Francesca Brint (Paul Roden) in the female equivalent.

Results

Southern Cross Country Championships, Brighton, 27 January

An in-form John Gilbert got the better of Adam Hickey (Eamon Martin) and Max Nicholls (Peter Brenchley) to take the senior men’s title at Stanmer Park, whilst Phoebe Law edged out training partner Emily Hosker-Thornhill (both Mick Woods) to secure the women’s crown. In the junior races Elliot Dee and Amelia Quirk (Mick Woods) took the spoils.

Results

EDP Seville Half Marathon, Spain, 28 January

Lily Partridge headed for Spain where she produced a strong performance on the roads over 13.1 miles, winning in 71.08, just outside her personal best set in 2015 but setting a superb course record. That effort puts her top of the Power of 10 rankings at this early point in the year, and will give her great confidence towards London in April.

 

Results