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England Athletics 10km Race Walking Championships: preview

Sunday will see the England Athletics 10km Race Walking Championships being staged on the University of Warwick Campus as part of Coventry Godiva’s Molly Barnett Meeting.

The fields are headed by Commonwealth Silver Medallist Tom Bosworth (Tonbridge AC, Andi Drake) who will be looking to build on his victory in last month’s British Indoor Championships over 5000 metres. Bosworth set the current British Record on this course of 39:36, when winning this competition in 2015. He will be challenged by former World Junior Champion Callum Wilkinson (Enfield & Harringay, Andi Drake) who will be looking to put behind him the disappointment of being disqualified when challenging Bosworth for the lead at the British Indoor Championships. Cameron Corbishley (Medway & Maidstone, Andi Drake) took the England Indoor title over 3000 metres in Sheffield in January and followed that up with a big personal best 0f 19.49.53 over 5000 metres when representing England in the Bratislava Elan meeting, and the silver medal behind Bosworth in the British Indoor Championships. Behind them Junior Chris Snook (Aldershot & Farnham, Verity Snook) will be looking to build on his bronze medal at the British Indoor Championships and targeting qualification for the European Race Walking Cup (45.00). Tom Partington (Manx Harriers, Steve Partington) took the bronze medal in the England Indoor Championships in Sheffield.

The women’s race looks set to be a shoot-out between Gemma Bridge (Oxford City, Mark Wall) and Erika Kelly (Northern AC, Andi Drake). Bridge - who finished 5th in the Commonwealth Games - will be making her season's debut as she looks to put an injury hit 2018 behind her. Kelly who finished 9th in the Commonwealth Games representing the Isle of Man will look to put behind her the disappointment of her disqualification in the British Indoor Championships last month. A recent training block in Leeds at the National Centre for Race Walking suggest her current personal best of 48.05 should be up for serious revision. Madeline Shott (Belgrave, Mick Graham) will look to transfer her fine indoor form over shorter distances which saw her take the England Indoor 3000 metres title, the silver medal in the British Indoor Championships and make her England debut in Bratislava to the 10km distance. Anna Garcia (Sheffield & Dearne, Mark Wall), Abigail Jennings (Aldershot & Farnham, Verity Snook) and British Indoor bronze medallist Pagen Spooner (Hyde Park Harriers, Andi Drake) will battle it out to finish top under 20.

In the open race Commonwealth bronze medallist (Cardiff AC: Andi Drake), whose personal best of 44.59 was set on this course in 2016 will be looking to put behind her the disappointment of disqualification in last month's British Indoor Championships. Her Welsh compatriot Heather Lewis (Pembrokeshire, Chris Jones) who took the British Indoor title in Birmingham, will look to target her personal best (46.59) set on this course in 2014.

Timetable

13.10 Under 13 Boys & Girls (2km)
13.35 Under 15 Boys & Girls (3km)
13.50 Under 17 Men & Women, Senior & Under 20 Women (5km)
14.25 Senior Men, Senior Women, Under 20 Men/ Women (10km)