London Senior/U20 Games

Could be interesting.
Jodie Williams v Ashlee Nelson v Asha Philip over 60m.

Thankyou for starting this off, Im-no-athlete, I sense there is going to be plenty of anticipation for all different reasons over that 60m race. Jodie Williams is making her indoor season debut off the back of a sensational campaign that saw her rise as World U20 100m champion and gain hold of the UK U20 record in 11.24 secs last summer, so everyone will be looking forward to gauging her early form - as will herself and Mike McFarlane! In my view, she could tear her PB of 7.38 secs apart from the outset and even challenge Jeanette Kwakye and Bernice Wilson in the UK lists leading positions.

Ashlee Nelson, by contrast, will be hoping for an encouraging start to edge back on track and resume where she left off when she ran that 11.36 secs over 100m in early summer in 2009, whilst fingers should be crossed in anxiety all round the arena as Asha Phillip will be settling in her blocks as she attempts to revive her career after that horrific accident back in 2006. Good luck to them both!

Harry Aikines-Ayreety is also marking his comeback after effectively 10 months on the sidelines against Craig Pickering, under a new coach now, in the men's dash so there is going to be plenty of interest therein too.

Let's take a look at the main entries at the Lee Valley:

Men
60m Harry Aikines-Ayreety, Craig Pickering, James Ellington, Leevan Yearwood, Rion Pierre, Ryan Scott, Luke Fagan, Mark Findlay, Matic Osovnikar (SLO), Jordan Huggins (U23), Joel Fearon, Dwayne Grant, Jack Meredith (U20)
200m Richard Strachan
400m Jack Green (U23), Patrick Swan, Dale Garland, Dan Puttnam (U23), Paul Judson, Richard Kilty (U23)
800m Paul Bradshaw, Eoin Everard (IRL), Mark Berridge, Conrad Williams
60mh Jack Meredith (U20), Nick Gayle, Daniel Davis, Alex Al-Ameen (U23), Matt Hudson, Julian Adeninan, James McLean, Andreas Martinsen (DEN)
PV Joe Ive, Christian North

U20 Men
60m David Bolariwua
60mh Ben Kelk

Women
60m Jodie Williams (U20), Ashleigh Nelson (U23), Bernice Wilson, Asha Phillip (U23), Gemma Bennett, Marilyn Nwawulor (U20)
200m Emily Diamond (U23), Niahm Whelan (IRL), Lesley Owusu
400m Laura Maddox (U23), Thelia Sigere, Sarah Adams
800m Dani Christmas, Perri Shakes-Drayton (U23)
60mh Sarah Claxton, Gemma Bennett, Marilyn Nwawulor (U20)
LJ Marilyn Nwawulor (U20)
PV Jade Ive (U20)

U20 Women
60m Annie Tagoe, Desiree Henry (U17)
200m Annie Tagoe,

Timetable and Overall Entries:
http://www.leevalleypark.org.uk/en/content/cms/leisure/activities_and_sport/athletics_centre/athletics_centre.aspx

Of course, a very significant duel in the shadow of the first showdown between Jessica Ennis and Tiffany Offili for the British summit up in Glasgow, in a revamped 60m hurdles this season, is going to be that between comeback girls Sarah Claxton and Gemma Bennett at the Lee Valley.

The latter has started her season in lively fashion through a new PB of 7.49 secs over the flat 60m, coupled with the third fastest time over the sticks in the UK in 8.16, so will be heading into the meet as slight favourite to bolster up her current position.

Beijing Olympic finalist Claxton, on the other hand, is slowly getting back into some reasonable form with a recent 8.21 secs and will be hoping to catch up with the leaders by the time the UK Indoor champs are around.

Looking forward to it, feeling that Bennett could dip inside 8.1 secs on the occasion...

There has been superb news from the girls in the dash at the Lee Valley that definitely come to lift the recent 'doom and gloom' over the fortunes of the women's sprints.

Jodie Williams, the reigning world U20 100m champion, shot to the top of the UK lists alongside Jeanette Kwakye in a huge PB of 7.28 secs, through an intermediate best of 7.33 secs in the semis, and looks set to storm under 7.2 soon - I really hope that a potential medal in Paris will make her and Mike McFarlane reconsider and turn their sights on Daegue late in summer.

I could understand their reluctance over senior championships last summer but she needs to start getting more involved to move up to the next level now. After all, she could make a sprint double at the Europeans U20 without having to hit her peak.

Nice to see Ashleigh Nelson grabbing a big new PB of 7.36 secs herself, definitely back on track, and so glad to see Asha Phillip back fully fit again, just 0.05 secs off her PB!

Also making great impression at the Lee Valley were 15-year-olds Desiree Henry, who set a fabulous PB of 7.54 secs in the women's 60m (previous best 7.57 a fortnight before at the Southern Indoor Champs at the same venue), and Yasmin Miller who equalled her PB of 8.62 secs set in Sheffield earlier this month in the hurdles.

Results:
http://www.thepowerof10.info/results/results.aspx?meetingid=42759

Thanks for the link to the results.

It looks like it was a cracking championships - I wonder if that is the first time Williams, Nelson and Philip have raced each other?

Aside from the 60m, I note that Jack Green posted a good season opener, winning his 400m race in 47.95. I was really impressed with his relay run at the World Juniors in Monckton. Clearly he's moved to be with Malcolm Arnold to develop as a 400m hurdler, but will he stick with this event? 400 hurdles is really competitive in the UK right now and there's a relative dearth of 400 flat runners in his age group, it will be interesting to see how this plays out . . .

I suspect Jack Green will stick with the 400 Hurdles for now. If he decides at a later date to switch to the flat I think it's one of the simplest changes of event an athlete can make.

You're welcome East End Bodybuilder.

I would agree that Jack Green should stick to the hurdles where that early indoor PB of 47.95 sec over the flat 400m, looking very likely to make way shortly, bodes well for the outdoor season. I saw him at the World U20 Champs last summer and he impressed me a great deal either on the individual 400mh or as an anchor in the 4x400m. I could see him burst all the way through to the low 49 secs under the guidance of Malcolm Arnold this summer, which could even sneak him an individual place on the British team to Daegu. But I guess his primal goal this season should be the European U23 Champs and everything else would be a bonus.

A name to keep in mind when the UK European Indoor Champs come around should be 22-year-old Joel Fearon who's improving with every outing since the start of his season. Last weekend he edged twice under 6.70 secs, first time ever into this territory in his career, in as many PBs of 6.69 and 6.68 secs respectively, getting the scalps of HAA and Craig Pickering among others, and he will be buzzing with confidence and excitement in prospect of the main indoor season. It will be interesting to see whether he can carry on that way and grind out a place on the team to Paris ahead of some established names.

HAA, for his part, got a decent start by way of 6.71 and 6.70 secs runs and he will be content to have come out unscathed in his effective comeback to action since his serious hamstring injury last March in Doha. He's got the time to tweak things and be fully up to the task when the UK champs are around.

James Ellington has to be a content man in the wake of a 6.70 secs PB, but Craig Pickering must have walked out of the Lee Valley arena with plenty of thoughts on his mind. Luke Fagan, the European U20 silver medallist over 200m from 2007, got a PB of 6.75 secs so hopefully is drawing back on track.

A quick look through some other interesting performances at the Lee Valley last weekend:

Former 400m runner Mark Berridge levelled his PB of 1:49.78 from the off for a useful start to his season, having shown in good nick of speed with a 48.66 secs over 400m earlier in January. Could be a factor in the event this winter.

In the same event, British 4x400m regular Conrad Williams ran a 1:58.12 to win his heat where Danni Christmas set an indoor PB of 2:04.45 in a mixed race.

In the men's high hurdles, 22-year-old Julian Aderinan drew a huge PB of 7.87 secs, coupled with his second-fastest ever of 7.93 secs, to move 6th in the UK lists this winter. These represent his first ever runs under 8 secs so he looks due for a big breakthrough outdoors on top. Nick Gayle ran 7.89 secs, his second best this term, Matt Hudson 7.96 secs and U23 Alex Al-Ameen a SB of 7.97 secs.

And, of course, highly-rated U20 Jack Meredith set a SB of 8.15 secs over the senior sticks before he moved on to slash that down to 8.01 secs last night in Linz, Austria. That was just a fraction off his PB of 8 secs dead.

In women, Beijing Olympic finalist Sarah Claxton ran a brace of 8.34 and 8.35 secs races to show some good consistence while Gemma Bennett opted only for the flat distance where she equalled her PB of 7.49 secs, set also this winter.

A name to note is U20 Marilyn Nwawulor, a sprinter-looking like-turning-a multi eventer, who improved to a PB of 8.52 secs from 8.61 earlier in the season. She also long-jumped a SB of 5.77m. She could rise as a major contender for a medal at the U20 Europeans in summer.

Nonetheless, I shouldn't fail to mention sensational Yasmin Miller who sparkled once more to an equal PB of 8.62 secs at just 15 years of age. That girl writes 'world class material' all over! Behind her, Georgia Atkins and Gabriella Ade-Onojobi, both born in 1993, got PBs of 8.71 and 8.72 secs respectively.