Track & Field News
Woodford athletes have been in action at home and abroad over the last week or so, with many fine performances to report. Amongst those was a national U/20 title for Daniel Rowden, and U/23 titles for Jack Lawrie and Hollie Pattie-Belleli. There was also news of a fine run over 1500m from Jon Cook as he set a new "domestic" Club record.
This last weekend saw the national U/20 and U/23 Championships take place at Bedford. The U/20 Championships were also the trials for the World Junior Championships. Daniel Rowden who already holds the qualifying standard over 800m for those World Junior Championships won the title at Bedford as in a tactical final he proved the strongest in the home straight to win with 1m49.55 secs. Canaan Solomon who also made that final after placing 3rd in his heat with 1m51.77 secs, did not start the final due to a slight achilles problem.
In the U/20 women's 800m Anna Clark placed 4th in her heat, and although not progressing was not too far from her season's best with 2m16.79 secs. In the men's U/20 200m, Shayne Dewar recorded a season's best of 22.10 secs (+1.3) to place 3rd in his heat and qualify for the semi-final, but was then DQ'd for a false start.
In the U/23 age group, last year's U/20 400mH Champion and European U/20 4th placer Jack Lawrie added the U/23 title with a fine win in a time of 51.32 secs, and also going well to take a bronze medal was Ewan Dyer with 52.22 secs. Joseph Dewar, 100m silver medalist at the U/20 level last year, and also European Junior silver medalist, moved up to the U/23 age group, comfortably winning his heat with 10.59 secs (+2.0), but when leading his semi-final by 2m from the eventual title winner, was forced to pull up with a recurrence of a hamstring injury. There was better luck for Hollie Pattie-Belleli, who recently returned from studies in the US at Missouri State University took the women's U/23 100mH title with 13.70 secs (+0.4). In the high jump Jack Lochans was 6th with 1.99m, but in the shot Youcef Zatat was disappointed with his 2nd place with 16.65m as behind him Hugh Williams placed 7th with 13.09m.
More pleased with his silver medal was James Bongart (far left, on podium) who continues his fine recovery from injury recording another personal best of 57.71m for his 2nd place. Over 5000m Bradley Wattleworth was close to his best ever as he placed 14th with 15m08.76 secs, and in preliminaries Daniel Gray recorded 51.15 secs over 400m, and James Stockings 4m02.03 secs over 1500m.
Further afield in Belgium at Lede-Ordegem Jon Cook had a fine run over 1500m, significantly improving his personal best, and setting a Club "domestic" 1500m record as he placed 4th in 3m39.83 secs. In Copenhagen, Eugene Ayanful recorded a windy 10.43 secs w +(+2.3), and Ezekiel Ewolu recorded 7.59m (-0.2) in the long jump. Also in Europe, at Stockholm Tosin Oke recorded 16.30m (-0.2) in the triple jump, whilst in the US, at Boston, Tiffany Porter won over 100mH with 12..94secs.
The day following the SAL fixture a number of Woodford athletes competed at the LICC meeting at Lee Valley. In the discus Devon Douglas recorded a season's best of 51.44m, as did Chris Linque with 50.42m. Other marks included Anton Dixon, LJ 7.08m, Peter Kirabo TJ 14.03m, HT Peter Clarke another with a season's best of 54.62m, and, amongst the women, TJ, Chanelle Hemmings 11.17m and a LJ PB from Katie James of 5.56m