25th June 2018
WEEKEND UPDATE
For updates on the British Race Walking GP, World Long Distance Mountain Running Championships and British Athletics Parallel Success Meeting in Newham, click on the respective links.
Bauhaus Junioren Gala, Mannheim, Germany, 23-24 June
After a stunning start to 2018, it came as little surprise to anyone that Molly Caudrey (coach: Stuart Caudrey) broke the British junior pole vault record on Saturday afternoon with a winning performance out in Germany. Clearing 4.45m her delight was a joy to behold, but she wasn’t done there as she improved it further going over 4.53m, the second-best vault in the world by a junior athlete this year.
Hammer sensation Jake Norris (Paul Dickenson) also continued his domination of the event, winning with another throw over 80 metres; 80.28m with the junior implement to be precise.
On the track, Alex Knibbs (Nick Dakin) was the stand out performance in the British team, winning the 400mH in 50.57, a massive personal best and amongst the top five performances ever by a British junior. Sticking with the hurdles there was also a personal best for Joshua Zeller (Ken Spencer) as he ran 13.49 (0.0) in his heat before backing it up with a 13.55 (0.0) run in the final, good for second. In the women’s 200m Alisha Rees (Leon Baptiste) set a season’s best of 23.44 (0.4) for the win.
Intertrust Athletics Games, St. Peter Port, 23 June 18
After victory at the England Athletics U20 Championships last weekend, Alastair Chalmers (Dale Garland) smashed his personal best from Bedford, lowering even further to 50.52.
British Milers Club Grand Prix, Loughborough 23 June
Running in a mixed race against the men, Lynsey Sharp (Terrance Mahon) made the most of the opportunity with a 2.00.44 season’s best, right on cue ahead of next weekend’s European Championships trials, incorporated into the Müller British Athletics Championships.
In the women’s 800m, Katy-Ann McDonald (Phillip Kissi) edged out European junior champion Khahisa Mhlanga (Mick Judd) as the duo finished second and third, McDonald setting a personal best of 2.04.14, Mhlanga equalling her best of 2.04.34. Both women will be delighted to have gone inside the World Junior Championship qualifying mark. On her home track Jess Judd (Mick Judd) won the women’s 1500m in 4.10.76.
In the men’s 5,000m, Kris Jones led eight men under 14 minutes with his 13.45.25 personal best winning run; the last of those was junior Tom Mortimer (Christopher Brown), the Loughborough University student running 13.57.95. In the B race, Paralympic medallist David Devine (Anthony Clarke) set an impressive 14.24.99 personal best.
Finally in the women’s equivalent it was great to see Jo Pavey (Gavin Pavey) back on the track, winning in 15.48.84, with Philippa Bowden (Mick Woods) also going under 16 minutes with a 15.52.36 personal best.
IAAF World Challenge Meeting, Madrid, Spain, 23 June
It was a British one-two out in Spain as Shara Proctor (Rana Reider) was victorious in the long jump at the IAAF World Challenge meeting in Madrid, getting the better of Lorraine Ugen (Shawn Jackson) on this occasion by 13cm thanks to a 6.73m effort.
Also in action was Olympic bronze medallist Sophie Hitchon (Tore Gustafsson), sixth in the hammer with a best of 71.13m, whilst Anyika Onuora (Reider) was seventh in the 200m in 23.66 (-0.5m/s). In the men’s 800m, Jamie Webb (Adrian Webb) won the battle of the Brits, sixth in 1.46.97 ahead of Guy Learmonth (Henry Gray) and Elliot Giles (Jon Bigg).
Goleniów Athletics Park, Goleniów, Poland, 20 June
Meghan Beesley (Michael Baker) scored victory out in Poland in a season’s best time of 55.33, her fastest 400mH clocking since the 2015 World Championships. Sixth in the same race, Kirsten McAslan (Baker) went fourth on the Scottish all-time list with an impressive 56.77 personal best in only her second season in the event. She is now just 0.27 shy of the European Championship qualifying standard.
In the men’s flat 400m, Rabah Yousef (Carol Williams) set a nice 45.53 season’s best en-route to victory, whilst in the hurdles Dai Greene (Benke Blomkvist) finished second in 49.59 on his return from a minor injury setback.
Meeting National à thème Quatrache de Tarare, France, 23 June
Loughborough University based 400m hurdler Jess Turner (Nick Dakin) proved she is rounding into form nicely ahead of the Müller British Athletics Championships next weekend, as she went within half a second of her personal best. Part of the British team at London 2017 last summer, Turner took the win in a season’s best of 56.53, well clear of the field.
BMC Regional Races, Eltham, 20 June
At this low key British Milers Club meeting in south east London, Revee Walcott-Nolan produced a 2.01.78 personal best performance to get the better of Shelayna Oskan-Clarke (Jon Bigg) by a quarter of a second in a mixed 800m race.
BMC Regional Races, Tipton, 19 June
In another mixed midweek 800m, 1500m specialist Sarah McDonald (David Harmer) set a lifetime best of 2.00.91 as she finished fifth, a good sign ahead of next weekend’s Müller British Athletics Championships.