Track & Field Round-Up
Woodford athletes were in action in Bedford's usual windy, and sometimes very wet conditions at the England Athletics U/20 and U/23 Championships which were also the UK trials for the European Championships for those age groups. There were silver medals for Joseph Dewar, Daniel Rowden (pictured), Youcef Zatat, Jack Lochans and Katie James, a title for HCA member Jack Lawrie and a medal for another, Dan Gardner. There was also news of some good middle distance running during last week at Watford, and some good long jumping from Ezekiel Ewulo. 
Whilst Bedford was windy on both days of the weekend, athletes also had to struggle with torrential downpours on the Saturday, with the U/20 Men's 100m Final taking place during one and on a water sodden track. Joseph Dewar, after winning his heat in 10.73 secs (+0.4), and semi in 10.49 secs (-0.9), led for 80m of the final, before losing out in the final stages, but nevertheless placing 2nd with 10.41 secs (+0.3), a fine effort to equal his personal best in the conditions. With only the Trials' winners guaranteed selection for those European Championships, Joseph previously the World Schools long jump champion, and who this season has run four times legally and twice windy inside the 10.55 secs qualifying time, will hope that he, too, will have done enough to be selected over 100m.
Daniel Rowden also placed 2nd in the U/20 800m, finishing very strongly to just get 2nd on the line with 1m51.8 secs. In placing 2nd Daniel beat two athletes who have faster times than him this season, one of which has the qualifying mark of 1m49.00 secs compared to Daniel's season's best of 1m49.78 secs. Daniel will be hoping for more favourable weather conditions at Watford on Saturday evening where he will race in the BMC Grand Prix in search of that qualifying time. One athlete to finish agonisingly outside the qualifying was HCA member Jack Lawrie who won the 400mH in a personal best of 51.84 secs, 0.04 secs outside the qualifying mark for the U/20 Championships. Another Woodford athlete in action in the U/20 events was Bradley Wattleworth in the 3000m s/ch, but he did not finish.
In the U/23 Championships Youcef Zatat, the BUCS champion (pictured below), was 2nd in the shot with a put of 16.82m, an event where Hugh Williams placed 7th with 11.66m.
Also 2nd, but actually 2nd= was Jack Lochans in the high jump with a clearance of 2.03m, with HCA member Kashif Jones 6th with 1.94m and another HCA member Dan Gardner was also 2nd in the pole vault with 5.00m. In the women's pole vault Katie James also placed 2nd with 3.80m, whilst in the 400mH Ewan Dyer was disappointed with his 5th in 53.82 secs, after qualifying well with 52.60 secs. Alex Bell moved through the semi-final of the 400m where he clocked 48.50 secs for 6th after a 48.44 secs heat. HCA member Jermaine Hamilton was 5th in the 200m final with 21.96 secs 9+1.3) after qualifying with 21.8 secs ht (+1.8). In the heats of the 800m Paul Scanlan recorded 1m54.06 secs.
During the week at Watford, Megan Edwards placed 4th in a high quality women's BMC "A" race and recorded a personal best of 2m05.62 secs, and Andrew Mariani continued his return to form as he placed 3rd in the "B" 1500m in a season's best of 3m51.84 secs.
Competing overseas over the weekend Tim Abeyie raced at Heroville, Saint-Clair in France and over 100m recorded 10.79 secs (0.0), with in Bilbao, Spain Eugene Ayanful going quicker with a 3rd place 10.56 secs (+1.5). Also in France, at Montelima, Ezekiel Ewulo recorded his longest ever, but windy, jump as he won with 7.90m (+2.9). Tomaz Plibersek represented his native Slovenia in the 2nd Division of the European Team Championships over the weekend and placed 6th in the 300m s/ch with 9m38.10 secs.