Excitement and excellence at England Athletics Combined Events Championships
The first English Athletics Championships of the New Year were so crammed with excellence and capped by excitement that, if their quality is repeated over the coming months it will be the spectators and officials – never mind the athletes – who will require heart rate monitors. The upper reaches of Britain’s all-time rankings lists were frequently re-written at the England Athletics Senior and Under-20 Combined Events Open Indoor Championships at the EIS Sheffield on 12 and 13 January – not least in the Senior Men’s heptathlon.
Only one point separated the gold and silver medallists: 23-year-old Ed Dunford totalled 5722 to move up to third in the British all-time rankings; Kevin Sempers, who is a year younger, finished on 5721 to move up to fourth in the rankings. Bronze medallist Louis Evling-Jones underwent the unique experience of equalling his PB, 5663, yet slipping down from third to fifth in the all-time list. It is headed by a versatile pair who thrived on their head-to-head confrontations in 1995, Alex Kruger, who scored 5978 in Barcelona, and Anthony Brannen, who reached 5877 at the national championships.
It goes without saying that forthcoming battles among the current crop in their early 20s – six of whom exceeded 7000 points in the decathlon last summer – suggests there will be the kind of exciting improvement in standards that has happened in the heptathlon since Denise Lewis won every major honour and the likes of Kelly Sotherton and Jessica Ennis led the charge to emulate her.
The competition was so hot this weekend that if Sempers had run just two-hundredths of a second quicker in the seventh and final event, the 1000m, he would have tied on points with Dunford. Then the Brunel University student would have retained the title ‘on countback’ having finished ahead of Dunford in four of the events.
Dunford (Birchfield Harriers), who ended last summer sensationally by achieving the B qualifying standard for the Beijing Olympics decathlon at the UK Combined Events Challenge Final at Stoke, began his fresh competitive year in great shape despite not tapering his training, which is now geared towards him scored the A qualifying standard as early as possible. He registered a 60m personal best (PB) of 7.06 seconds, long jump indoor PB of 6.90m, shot indoor PB of 14.68m and high jump PB of 2.05m on the first day followed today by a 60m hurdles PB of 8.03, pole vault indoor PB of 4.15m and 1000m PB of 2:45.10.
Sempers (Belgrave Harriers) virtually matched him with a 60m PB of 7.02 seconds, long jump indoor PB of 7.03m, shot of 12.93m and high jump PB of 2.08m followed by 60m hurdles in 8.17 seconds, pole vault PB of 4.65m and 1000m in 2:52.33.
Evling-Jones (Belgrave Harriers) equalled his three-year-old PB of 5663 points to earn the bronze medal with performances of 7.16 seconds, 7.14m, 13.32m PB, 1.96m, 8.33 seconds PB, 4.45m and 2:38.48. Roger Skedd (City of Stoke AC) finished fourth with 5259 points while the leading Under 23, Guy Stroud (Exeter Harriers) took fifth place with 5183 points: 7.25 seconds for 60m, 6.86m long jump to equal his PB, 13.24m shot PB, 1.81m high jump indoor PB, 8.36 seconds 60m hurdles PB, 4.05m pole vault indoor PB and 1000m PB of 2:50.17.
The Under 20 Men’s pentathlon was of equal high quality – and possessed its share of excitement with the gold and silver medallists moving up from fifth and sixth places overnight.
Michael Holden (Colchester Harriers), ninth in these Championships last winter with 4492 points, took the title with 5025 points. To underline his improvement, the English Schools combined events champion achieved six PBs in the seven events: 7.26 seconds in the 60m, 6.33m for an indoor PB in the long jump, 12.77m in the shot, 3.85m indoor PB in the pole vault, 8.30m in the 60m hurdles and 2:48.20 in the 1000m. The odd event out was the high jump, in which he cleared 1.83m; it merely equalled his lifetime best!
Making full use of these Championships being Open, Ben Reynolds (North Down AC) flew over from Northern Ireland and recorded PBs in all seven events to earn the silver medal with 4978 points: 7.58 seconds in the 60m, 6.47m indoor PB in the long jump, 12.11m indoor PB in the shot, 4.15m lifetime best in the pole vault, 8.55 seconds in the 60m hurdles, a massive 1.98m in the high jump and 2:56.87 in the 1000m.
Ashley Bryant (Windsor, Slough, Eton and Hounslow AC) clung to the bronze medal with 4952 points, finishing just 19 points ahead of overnight leader Ben Gregory (Vale of Aylesbury AC). Bryant opened with a 60m sprint in 7.52 seconds then reeled off six lifetime bests – 6.63m indoor PB in the long jump, 12.40m shot, 4.15m pole vault, 8.54 seconds 60m hurdles, 1.80m high jump and 2:51.44 1000m.
To put these teenagers’ performances into perspective, Holden now ranks seventh in the British all-time junior men’s list of indoor heptathletes using junior weighted implements, Reynolds is tenth, Bryant is 11th and Gregory is 13th, just one point behind Ben Hazell (Basingstoke and Mid Hants AC), who finished last summer ranked second among Britain’s senior men, behind only Dunford.
To further delight the organisers, the quantity increased too. There were 38 starters and 31 finishers in the Senior Men’s heptathlon and 24 starters, of whom all but one finished, in the Junior Men’s competition.
There were not so many females: 12 started the Senior Women’s pentathlon and nine finished, not including Phylis Agbo (Thames Valley Harriers), who improved her high jump PB to 1.71m before withdrawing; 18 started the Junior Women’s pentathlon and all but two finished.
The international athlete formerly known as Kate Brewington (Havering Mayesbrook AC) had two extra reasons to celebrate winning the Senior Women’s title. This was her first major victory since she became Mrs Cowley. And her points total of 3974 – within 96 of her best yet – proved she is finally over injuries that have hampered her of late. She opened her campaign by clocking 8.78 seconds in the 60m hurdles, high jumped an indoor PB of 1.71m, put the shot 11.70m, long jumped 5.75m and ran the 800m in 2:26.58.
Leading Under 23 Catherine Holdsworth (Colchester Harriers) took the silver medal with a PB points score of 3906 (8.56 seconds 60m hurdles PB, 1.59m high jump, 12.14m shot, 5.83m long jump and 2:28.16 800m. This moves her into Britain’s all-time top 12 in the age group.
Gemma Weetman (Oswestry Olympians) took third place with 3880 points, just four ahead of Grace Clements (Dartford Harriers). The 20-year-old Weetman got to within 23 points of her best yet with a 60m hurdles in 8.92 seconds, 1.56m high jump, 11.23m shot, 5.87m long jump and 2:18.49 800m.
Meghan Beesley (Tamworth AC) moved up to fourth in the British all-time junior women’s rankings as she snatched the Junior Women’s title from Amy Hill (Sheffield AC), who led by 10 points going into the fifth and final event, the 800m.
Beesley’s haul of 3908 points represented an improvement by more than 300 points on 12 months ago as she opened with a 60m hurdles PB of 8.73 seconds, high jumped 1.59m, put the shot 9.96m, long jumped 5.96m and ran the 800m in 2:17.88 to clinch the title.
Hill is now ninth on the all-time list with her 3814 points: 9.11 seconds in the 60m hurdles, a high jump PB of 1.65m, shot PB of 14.18m, 5.06m long jump and 800m in 2:25.63.
To maintain the thrills, only 11 points separated the next three competitors. Serita Shone (Bournemouth AC) earned the bronze medal with 3566 from Alice Lennox (City of Stoke AC), fourth on 3559, and Caryl Granville (Carmarthen Harriers), fifth on 3555.
Among the impressed spectators were the selectors of Norwich Union Great Britain and Northern Ireland teams for the Senior indoor combined events international against the Czech Republic, France and Spain at the same Sheffield venue on 2 and 3 February and the Under 23 and Under 20 indoor combined events international in France against France and Spain on 1 and 2 March. They will finalise their deliberations after the Saucony LSAC Indoor Open Meeting at the East Midlands High Performance Centre, Loughborough University, on Saturday 19 January.
Artical by Trevor Frecknall
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