22nd February 2025

Williams and Azu claim 60m titles in Birmingham

Bianca Williams (club: Thames Valley; coach: Linford Christie) stormed to the first senior national title of her career while Jeremiah Azu (Cardiff; Helen James) impressively defended his on the first day of the Microplus UK Athletics Indoor Championships. Both booked their places at next month’s European Athletics Indoor Championships in the process.

Williams ran the perfect race in a women’s 60m final that saw positions change all around her – smashing her personal best yet again on the way to a maiden national title in 7.19 seconds, with European Under 20 champion Joy Eze (Gateshead) second in 7.25s.

Olympic silver medallist Williams said: “It means so much as I have never been a British champion after all these years. Training is going well. I am feeling great. I am balancing motherhood and everything is aligning.

“My family is all here – they have supported me for the last five years since I had my son so they gave me the confidence to be here. I am so excited for this new chapter as the last time I represented GB indoors was 2018 before I had my son. I am enjoying every little bit of success – small wins and big wins.”

In the men’s 60m final, Azu showed his class to confidently and comfortably defend his national crown. He left the field trailing in his wake as he equalled his personal best 6.56s for gold and a European indoors place. John Otugade (Shaftesbury Barnet; Tom McNab) claimed second to also seal his place in Apeldoorn.

The Olympic silver medallist led from gun to tape to successfully defend the title he won last year, and he was pleased to come through after a testing time in recent weeks.

Azu said: “It was an emotional one after a crazy time coming into the champs. I have had a little niggle so I haven’t run for nearly four weeks – all my training has been on the bike but it shows how much it means to me to be here and get the win. I am chuffed to have equalled my PB because that has taken a while.

“I am hoping to do the Europeans although I am expecting a baby so it all depends when he arrives. I hope he comes before so I can go out there for two days.”

After a delayed start to the opening day, ten national champions were crowned overall; two-time Paralympic champion Sophie Hahn (Charnwood; Leon Baptiste) won the women’s 60m para event in a season’s best 8.12s and Zac Shaw (Cleethorpes; Baptiste) the men’s equivalent in 7.07s.

Hahn was a comfortable winner ahead of Madeline Down (Halesowen; Mike Bennett) in second and Hetty Bartlett (City of Norwich; John Herbert) in third.

Hahn said: “I was here at the Keeley Klassic so it is nice to be back and run a little faster and to win the title again of course. It is good to run back to back and build up on last week.”

Shaw beat fellow Paris Paralympian Thomas Young (Loughborough Students; Joseph McDonnell) by 0.09s and James Arnott (City of Plymouth) was third with 7.53s.

Shaw said: “The Paralympics was everything I ever wanted so this year is just about enjoying my sport and challenging myself mentally which is why I wanted to do an indoor season.”

Abigail Pawlett (Trafford; Ashley Bryant) ran a personal best to win the women’s 60m hurdles, lowering her time to 8.09s to edge out Emma Nwofor (Thames Valley, Linford Christie) by two hundredths of a second. Marli Jessop (Harrow; Scott Grace) took bronze.

Daniel Goriola (Blackheath & Bromley; Tony Jarrett) came from behind for gold in the men’s 60m hurdles, pipping Iolo Grant (Cardiff Archers; Bethan Grant) after the final hurdle.
Grant clocked a personal best 7.83s for silver, as did William Ritchie-Moulin (Birchfield Harriers; Laura Turner-Alleyne) for bronze in 7.87s.

In the field Owen Heard (Harrow; Kate Rooney) won the men’s pole vault thanks to a first time clearance at 5.26m.

Three attempts, including an unfortunate accident, at 5.41m proved too much but that previous clearance secured back-to-back titles with Adam Hague (Sheffield & Dearne; Trevor Fox) and Mark Mellor (Cardiff; Edward Thompson) sharing silver with similar cards.

Heard said: “I won last year but I didn’t jump to my ability. I wanted to prove myself. I had that accident at 5.41m so I am proud that I kept myself going and was able to take the title again.

“I was running down the runway but my pole hit the box so I went flying but I am fortunately OK. This is the end of the indoors for me now so I will focus on the outdoors where I have an outside chance of making the worlds and getting my first GB kit.”

In the women’s pole vault, Nemiah Munir (Thames Valley; Richard Humby) demonstrated her huge improvements as she took gold having finished ninth 12 months ago.

Munir won with a best leap of 4.21m ahead of Sophie Ashurst (Sale Harriers Manchester; Rooney) and Isabella Turner (Dacorum).

Reigning outdoor champion Efe Uwaifo (Harrow; Daniel Hooker) took triple jump gold, ahead of Jordan Aki-Sawyerr (Windsor, Slough, Eton and Hounslow; Femi Akinsanya), who surged for silver in the final two rounds, ending just three centimetres shy of Uwaifo with 15.61m. Henry Clarkson (Glasgow Jaguars; Linda Nicholson) took bronze with a last-gasp effort of 15.45m.

Uwaifo said: “It is always lovely to come away with the British Champion title on your vest. I’ll prepare for a long outdoor season now but the win here is a massive positive and the crowd was fantastic cheering me on.”

Alice Hopkins (Oxford City; Linford Christie) won the women’s long jump title, claiming her first national title thanks to an impressive performance.

She set the standard for the final after a second-round 6.35m and completed it with a personal best effort of 6.59m in the fifth round for gold. Multi-eventer Jade O’Dowda (Newham & Essex Beagles; John Lane) took silver with 6.43m and Leigh Thompson (Enfield & Haringey; John Shepherd) bronze with 6.19m.

Hopkins said: “A PB here is fantastic. To jump an outright PB is so positive as it has been a long time coming. I am so pleased too for my training partner, Bianca [Williams].”

Elsewhere the pick of the events with just heats and semi-finals on the first day was Olympic fifth-place finisher Amber Anning (Brighton & Hove) in the women’s 400m. Anning dominated the second of the two semi-finals to qualify for the final quickest in 52.03s.

Lina Nielsen (Shaftesbury Barnet; Tony Lester), who like Anning is in possession of a European indoors standard, progressed second overall.

In the men’s 400m Alex Haydock-Wilson (Windsor, Slough, Eton and Hounslow, Dai Greene) is the one to beat running the quickest in the semi-finals with 46.79s.

Hurdler Alistair Chalmers (Guernsey; Matt Elias) clocked a personal best 46.84s in the same race to qualify second fastest.

Olympic bronze medallist Georgia Hunter Bell (Belgrave; Trevor Painter) had to wait until the very last event of a delayed first day but wasn’t fazed as she cruised to victory in the second of the two women’s 1500m heats.

She wasn’t the fastest qualifier though – that went to first heat winner Revee Walcott Nolan (Luton; Thomas Dreissigacker), who will want to flip the script after finishing second to Hunter Bell last year.

Teenager Shakira King (Wreake & Soar Valley; John Skevington) pushed Isabelle Boffey (Enfield & Haringey; Luke Gunn) all the way in the standout of the two women’s 800m heats.

Just 16, King hit the front from the start but Boffey just edged past along the final back straight to win the heat in the quickest time of the two in 2:05.60. King was rewarded for her effort, and time of 2:05.86, by qualifying for the final second fastest.

In the men’s 800m heats, Joe Wigfield (Wirral; Craig Winrow) qualified quickest for the final after winning the fifth and final heat in 1:47.01 – his first trip over the distance this year.

Other notable performers included Callum Dodds (Enfield & Haringey) clocking 1:47.28 for an indoor personal best and third quickest behind Henry Fisher (Blackheath & Bromley; Dean Miller, who was second in the final heat.

 

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