Weekend Domestic Action

Well, let's get this going with a couple of results I've picked up on the round.

Jack Green has smashed his PB, either indoor or outdoor, in the men's 400m in the fastest time in the UK this winter of 47.04 secs in Birmingham. The lad looks bound to surge under 47 secs as early as his next race with huge improvements over the hurdles to beckon come summer!

Joel Fearon, meanwhile, shattered his own PB into an also UK-leading mark of 6.62 secs in the semis of the men's 60m to go top of the European lists as well this season! Superb stuff from him!

Also, Bernice Wilson has equalled her PB of 7.26 secs in the women's 60m to go atop the UK lists ahead of Jodie Williams and Jeanette Kwakye. That is also a qualifier for the European Indoor champs in Paris.

Ashleigh Nelson is tweeting about having set two PBs today but haven't got any info on that yet.

The female sprints are hotting up!

I agree about the girl Im-no-athlete! Joel Fearon's 6.62 was actually set in the final and not the semis in Birmingham where he convincingly saw off mighty Dwain Chambers, who seems to have withdrawn from the final act at the end of the day. The lad has come to make a serious statement and will be heading to the UK indoor champs buzzing with confidence now.

Really appreciate all these updates and analysis. Looks like things are hotting up nicely, particularly womens sprints.

Ashleigh Nelson's time was 7.34 secs in Birmingham to improve by 0.02 secs on her previous mark set only last weekend while Laura Turner nicked ahead of her for runner-up in a big SB of 7.33 secs.

Harry Aikines-Ayreety was second behind Joel Fearon over that 60m in a SB of 6.68 secs while Marilyn 'Maz' Okoro toured round the 400m in 53.61 secs for a good sharpener ahead of the main action of the season, the fastest time in the UK so far.

So the women's 60m top 5 list this season shapes up like this as of February 5:

1.Bernice Wilson 7.26 (ePB)
2.Jodie Williams (U20) 7.28 (PB)
- Jeanette Kwakye 7.28
4.Laura Turner 7.33
5.Ashleigh Nelson (U23) 7.34 (PB)

By the way, thanks Teassoc!

Holly Bleasdale has cleared a new UK U23 record of 4.50m in the pole vault in Sheffield, her fifth on the trot and maintaining her PB'ing streak all the way into the indoor season so far. But that one carries an extra weight; it's an A-standard for the World Champs in Daegu in August! She even went on to attempt a new UK record of 4.61m but it wasn't to be on the day, but she's got loads of time on her hands for that too. If she ever wanted some serious challenge on the domestic front, Kate Dennison has not got a handful in her hands! Well done Holly!!

So pleased for Holly and well deserved

Some quick latest news from Birmingham as they're flowing through the tweeter pages:

Gianni Frankis has followed up on his equal PB in Linz midweek with a substantial new lifetime mark of 7.72 secs to claim the men's 60m hurdles. After an unconvincing season last summer, he looks to be settling nicely back into his stride and there looks to be more to come.

Nigel Levine, the European U23 silver medallist over 400m, sped round 200m to victory in a big new PB of 21.20 secs, erasing his outdoor mark of 21.33 from 2007, and looks on the edge of a big breakthrough this season; as looks a new-look Richard Strachan, who unfortunately cramped up in the final but still got to post a huge PB of 21.02 secs of his own earlier in the semis. Do watch this space as he shows like bearing down on some really fast times!

Danny Talbot, moving into the U23 age group this year, also grabbed a big new PB of 21.07 secs in the semis.

In the women's 200m semis, I was delighted to see (sensational) Joey Duck return with a stir as she turned in the fastest time in the UK this winter in 23.87 secs, a big new indoor PB. Emily Diamond, 6th at the World U20 champs in Moncton last summer, pulled up with a hamstring problem though having set a SB of 23.92 secs in the heats - hope it's going to be alright within short notice...

Back to yesterday's results, Joel Fearon's time has been corrected to 6.63 secs meaning he's now second fastest in Europe by a hundredth of a second, yet I sense he'll be hardly bothered after such a breakthrough weekend for him! Dwain Chambers clocked 6.72 secs in the rounds earlier on.

In the men's 400m, Luke Lennon-Ford showed very strong to win in 47.28 secs and also saw the timer stop at a... startling 44.56 secs in the heats earlier on, apparently some malfunction of the apparatus...

Back to Sheffield, Tom Parsons, who was a late withdrawal from Stuttgart last night but thankfully not down to injury grounds, has equalled his SB of 2.28m and failed at 2.31m in the high jump with Rob Grabarz grabbing a substantial SB of 2.24m in second.

lsabre

Have you got a link for the tweets from Birmingham please?

Here you are mate!

http://twitter.com/LukeStott

Thank you.

Here is a full report and results from the McCain City Challenge match in Sheffield:

http://www.uka.org.uk/media/news/february-2011/06-02-11-lions-snatch-victory/

For my part, I'd like to add the following:

Men
400m Rick Yates set a new indoor PB of 48.66 secs for second behind David Martin's 48.22, following up on his 50.88 secs over the hurdles last week.
800m Andie Osagie had to fight hard to earn his spurs as he just managed to snatch victory by a narrowest 0.02 secs in a time of 1:50.80, yet it wasn't UK fastest marker Joe Thomas to stick it out to him but aucadious U20 Scot Guy Learmonth! The Lasswade youngster looks set to make a big impact on the European junior scene this summer. Thomas, for his part, could muster only fourth, with James Bowness in sixth.
1500m Jonny Taylor was on a familiar lone run out front to win easily by nearly four secs in a SB of 3:47.52.
60mh Former Commonwealth silver medallist Chris Baillie just stole a win by the skin of his teeth ahead of buoyant Julian Adeniran in an identical time of 7.84 secs, a PB for the latter.
Matt Hudson was third in 7.94 secs and highly-rated U20 Jack Meredith dipped under 8 secs for the first time ever in 7.98 secs!
PV Surprise Commonwealth bronze medallist Max Eaves got off to a promising best ever start to an indoor term by clearing 5.34m, just 6cm below his total best, to beat European U23 silver medallist Luke Cutts in the men's pole vault. The latter had to do with only 5.24m on this occasion, the same as World U20 bronze medallist Andrew Sutcliffe who sneaked another cm on his SB.

Women
60m A day on setting a European qualifier and UK leader of 7.26 secs, Bernice Wilson turned in Sheffield to post a useful 7.32 secs for yet another domestic win.
200m Lee McConnell set an indoor PB of 23.74 secs to top the UK lists this season. Britain's 4x400m regular Vicky Barr was last in 24.64 in her heat.
400m U23 Laura Wake just missed out on her indoor PB by a mere 0.01 secs where 17-year-old Kirsten McAslan set a new total PB of 55.53 secs in a different heat.
PV In the shadow of sensational Holly Bleasdale, Bryony Raine levelled her PB of 4.15m.
LJ Heptathlete Dominique Blaize set a new total best of 6.34m, previous at 6.31m at Hendon last summer, to go second in the UK lists behind Jessica Ennis in the long jump, with U23 Jade Nimmo behind her at a SB of 6.05m.
World Youth heptathlon champion Katarina Johnson-Thompson landed at a promising 6.18m, coupled with a 8.74 secs over the hurdles and a SB of 10.85m in the shot for a good all-round workout.
TJ Angela Barrett improved on her UK early lead to a mere cm outside 13m, a PB, while World U20 silver medallist Laura Samuel got off to a new indoor PB of 12.87m for this season.
SP European U23 discus champion Eden Francis got her season off to 15.72m in the shot.

Full results from Birmingham:

http://www.thepowerof10.info/results/results.aspx?meetingid=42559

Let me also mention that Commonwealth 200m champion Leon Baptiste kick-started his indoor season by way of two 6.75 secs clockings over 60m in Birmingham. That was just a shade off his PB of 6.73 secs by the way.

400m girl Nadine Okyere set a new PB of 24.27 secs over 200m, as did Gemma Werrett with 8.40 secs over 60mh, while U23 Mukhtar Mohammed began the season in confident manner with an easy win of 1:50.39 over Robbie Schofield (1:51.59), 5th at the European U20 champs two years ago.

Just missing out on a win was my mate Allan Hamilton who jumped to a nice new PB of 7.22m, 1cm behind the winner. Good to see he's still got it after his wrist injury hampered him a bit over the winter.

Also Calum Innes with a good pb in the 200m of 22.28 in tough heat. And Guy Learmonth who just keeps getting better each time he runs. Sub 1.50 before summer starts mate, you'll get it.

Thanks mate! Incidentally, Guy Learmonth has already run 1:49.62 indoors so you're spot-on in your prediction!

I have forgotten to mention another very promising U20 hurdler who was slightly slower than Jack Meredith up in Sheffield at that; Andy Rozzi, who set a sound 8.01 secs in apparently his first ever race over the senior sticks!

In Birmingham, there slipped unnoticed the presence of Commonwealth heptathlon champion Louise Hazel who put the shot at a best on the day of 11.76m.

I shouldn't fail to mention, however, the exploits of Mick Woods's girls on the country once more with Charlotte Purdue (27:21) adding to an impressive winning streak with an overwhelming victory by nearly a minute over Stevie Stockton (28:14) at the British Students Cross-Country Champs in Birmingham. Emily Pidgeon was well beaten into seventh in 28:59.

In the men's long race, Nick Goolab got the better of promising miler Ross Murray to land the title by a margin of three seconds, 34:55 to 34:58 respectively, with European U20 'chase silver medallist James Wilkinson closing out the medals at 35:10.

Results:
http://www.bucs.org.uk/page.asp?section=14722&sectionTitle=Cross+Country+Championships

Steph Twell, on the other hand, showed that she's hitting form at the right time to claim the scalp of European 1500m champion Nuria Fernandez in capturing a superb win at the Gran Premio Cáceres de Campo a Través, carving out a sound eight seconds gap on her top opponent. Their times were 21:24 and 21:32 respectively.

There is great news coming from the Inter-Varsity Match in Birmingham earlier on today as Chris Clarke has surged to the top of the UK rankings with a commanding run of 46.97 secs, edging ahead of Richard Buck's 47 dead secs set last Sunday in Moscow.

Clarke, the reigning European U20 champion, endured a shaky summer after a promising start last year but seems to have shaken off his injury worries and settling firmly and swiftly back on track to make an impact on the international scene. That comes also as a substantial boost for the men's 4x400m team that looks to be gradually gaining the upper hand in view of the European Indoor Champs in Paris.

There are three men that look very likely to dip under 47 secs in Sheffield at the UK Indoor Champs, namely Richard Buck, Jack Green and Nigel Levine, while Richard Strachan's recent breakthrough over 200m suggests that something sound lies in the works there too. Clarke, like Strachan, will be contesting the 200m in Sheffield.

Here's the fastest race over 400m indoors so far in Britain this winter:
http://www.athleticos.org/coverage/238388-Inter-Varsity-Match-2011/video/454654-Mens-400m-Guest-Race-1

Some other notable performances from the Inter-Varsity Match in Birmingham where UK U20 record-holder over 400mh Richard Davenport clocked an indoor season debut of 47.46 secs behind winner Chris Clarke to set off to a good start as he continues his long journey back from virtual anonymity due to injury for years. That was the seventh fastest time in Britain this season and bodes well for his first trips inside 50 secs over the hurdles in summer. 19-year-old also hurdler Niall Flannery got a huge indoor PB of 48.47 secs in the other heat, just 0.03 secs off his total best.

In the women's event, 21-year-old Emma Pullen pulled a big overall PB of 54.08 secs followed by also a sizeable new lifetime mark of Lauren Bouchard in 55.65 secs, who looks back in good shape after a topsy-turvy outdoor season last summer. Lauren ran a very good 58.72 secs as an 18-year-old over 400mh back in 2009 to show plenty of promise.