Track & Field Round-Up

Aside from those Woodford athletes competing in the Southern League, several others were in action both at home and abroad. In the US Sam Watts qualified for the NCAA finals, Tiffany Porter was in action in the IAAF Challenge from Ostrava, and performances at home included personal bests for Daniel Rowden, Megan Edwards, and Ed Shepherd at the BMC Grand Prix meeting in Manchester.

Competing in the Czech Republic at the IAAF Challenge in Ostrava, European Champion Tiffany Porter raced over 100mH where she placed 3rd with 12.90 secs (-1.7). Sam Watts was in action for his University in the US, in the Eastern preliminaries for the NCAA Finals, where by placing 3rd in his quarter final with a time of 20.85 secs (-0.1), after a 20.77 secs (+1.3) heat, he moved into the Finals, as did both the TCU 4x100m and 4x400m Relay teams Sam ran on. Tim Abeyie competed in Latvia at the Riga Games and recorded a season's best over 100m of 10.56 secs (+1.3) for 3rd, and also 21.76 secs (+0.6) over 200m. 

Closer to home during last week Canaan Soloman raced at the Eltham BMC Meeting, and placed 2nd over 800m with 1m53.42 secs, whilst at the Lee Valley Sprints Meeting, and in windy conditions, Justin Duru recorded 10.95 secs w (+3.6), Adrian Stamp 11.25 secs w (+4.8), Nina Wedderburn-Goodison an U/11, 14.09 secs w (+3.3) and in the 200m 30.09 secs w (+2.3, with another U/11 Zahara Malcolm 30.97 secs w (+2.3), with HCA member Gemma Rouse recording 16.46 secs w (+4.0) over 100mH. 

At Saturday evening's BMC Meeting at Sports City Manchester there were fine runs from Daniel Rowden with another new personal best over 800m to place 2nd in the "B" race with 1m49.78 secs, from Megan Edwards, 3rd in the women's "B" race also with a personal best of 2m05.90 secs, and a third personal best, from Ed Shepherd who was 9th in the "B" 5000m with 14m28.71 secs. Bradley Wattleworth also competed in the 3000m s/ch where he recorded 10m12.50 secs.

Sunday saw athletes in action at Bedford for the Bedford International Games where they encountered Bedford's usual blustery conditions. Over 100m, in one of the rare wind-legal races, Eugene Ayanful recorded a season's best of 10.63 secs (+1.6), plus a windy 10.53 secs (+2.2). Joseph Dewar (U/20) recorded 10.49 secs w (+2.2) and 10.51 secs w (+3.7), with younger brother Shayne Dewar (U/17) recording a personal best of 11.13 secs (+1.1) and 11.28 secs (+0.1). In the women's 100m Sarah Busby recorded 12.01 secs w (+2.2) and 24.37 secs (+1.2) over 200m, with Elaine O'Neil recording, over 100m, 12.25 secs (+1.2). Nathan Wake raced over 400m and enjoyed a comfortable victory with 49.11 secs. In the field, Ezekiel Ewulo won the long jump with 7.49m (+1.4), and Katie James was 2nd in the Pole Vault with 3.80m. Mark Dry won the hammer with 71.89m from Andy Frost with 66.43, with in the discus Chris Linque 3rd with 46.97m and Devon Douglas 4th with 46.66m, and Hollie Redman 6th in the women's event with 42.04m. In the shot Youcef Zatat was 5th with 17.00m and Anthony Oshodi with 16.49m.