England victorious at Loughborough International
The May sunshine and the banks of the Paula Radcliffe Stadium full of excited supporters can only mean one thing - the return of the Loughborough International!
With a jam packed season still to come, there was plenty to play for with England finishing triumphant on top.
Here's how the action unfolded...
- Go straight to jumps
- Go straight to speed
- Go straight to endurance
- Go straight to throws
- Go straight to hurdles
Jumps
With the Commonwealth Games around the corner, it was fantastic to see some of the selected para athletes take to the track and field. In the para long jump, Samuel Jose (Cornwall AC, Helen Jose) contested fresh from his Cornwall County Championships performance. A challenging series littered with no jumps, Samuel placed second overall with 5.74m. In the women's para long jump, Molly Kingsbury (Bracknell AC, Rafer Joseph) wore the England vest for the second time this season with a longest attempt of 3.83m to place third - a fantastic season opener.
It was wonderful to see Jazmin Sawyers (City of Stoke AC, Aston Moore) competing on her home turf and taking the competition in 6.46m. Steph Jones (Sale Harriers Manchester, Keith Hunter) flew the flag for England finishing in fifth with 6.10m. Jack Roach (Morpeth Harriers, Joe McDonnell) opened his outdoor season, taking the win in the process with 7.43m.
A regular to Loughborough International, Jude Bright-Davis (Thames Valley Harriers, David Johnson) contested a swirling wind in the men's triple jump to finish in second place with 15.43m. The wind continued to be a challenge for the women's competition with a -1.1 recorded for England's Amy Warre (WSEH, Keith Fleming). It did not stop her sailing to a new season's best of 12.87m.
Over at the high jump, British and English champions past and present were battling it out. It was 2026 British Indoor Champion, Joel Clarke-Khan (Thames Valley Harriers, Deirdre Elmhirst) who took the victory with 2.21m - just short of the Commonwealth Games standard. England's Divine Duruaku (Harrow AC, Julian Reid) had an impressive run, with no failures on his scorecard right up until 2.15m. Skipping the 2.18m height didn't pay off however, as 2.21m was a step too far, finishing in third place overall. Gabrielle Garber (Trafford AC, Andrew Wood) contested fellow clubmate Halle Ferguson. It came down to 1.84m where Ferguson cleared on the final attempt with Garber just narrowly tapping the bar. She finished in second place ahead of Daena Kealy on countback.
World Indoor Champion Molly Caudery (Thames Valley Harriers) cleared 4.45m on her final attempt to win the women's pole vault competition, before continuing and eventually achieving 4.61m. England's Tilly Hooper cleared 4.20m on her second attempt before bowing out at 4.33m. England senior debutant, Jack Harris (Thames Valley Harriers) vaulted a best of 4.60m - entering the competition with a tricky start and a third time clearance over the height before three failures at 4.75m.
Speed
Former English athlete Charlotte Henrich (Invicta East Kent, Nigel Stickings) now representing Wales had a sensational race in the 400m, taking the win by 1.5 seconds. England's Asha Root (Tonbridge AC, Iain Presnell) put in a strong performance, clocking her second fastest 400m of this year in 54.02. England's Brook Cronin (Walton AC, Andrew Kennard) managed to hold off Welshman, Joe Brier to win in 46.53.
Over the para 100m, Hetty Bartlett (City of Norwich AC, John Herbert) and Karim Chan (Charnwood AC, Aston Moore) both finished in third place overall in 13.67 SB and 11.28(w) respectively. Louise Evans (Thames Valley Harriers, Linford Christie) contested the women's race coming home in second behind Lincoln Wellington's Mabel Akande in 11.67. After success at the World Indoors, Jeremiah Azu had his eyes set on first place and succeeded with a season's best of 10.15. Closely followed by England's Jordan Watson-Brown (Birchfield Harriers, Clarence Callender) with 10.39.
In the half lap, Ezekiel Lowe (Victoria Park Harriers and Tower Hamlets AC, Clarence Callender) returned after his excellent relay leg earlier in the day. He ran a sensational race with an incredibly tight finish. Nothing separating Lowe and GB's Ethan Franklin - both awarded the same time of 20.91 but with Franklin taking it on the photofinish. Rachel Bennett (Sale Harriers Manchester, Anita Richardson) executed a fantastic start and bend, couldn't quite hold throughout the straight but was rewarded with a season's best (23.18). In the women's ambulant 200m, Rosie Porter (Herts Phoenix AC, Cathy Walker) fresh from Commonwealth selection battled a challenging wind to place third (28.78).
Endurance
The men's para ambulant 1500m was an exciting Commonwealth Games preview with selected athletes Kieran O'Hara (Havering AC, Patrick Gahagan) and Daniel Wolff (Belgrave, Andy Vaughan) toeing the line. This time, it was Daniel who finished on top with 4:06.95, closely followed by England's representative Kieran (4:10.11).
In the 800m it was the junior athletes who showed their strength with Shaikira King (Wreake and Soar Valley, Jon Bigg) clocking 2:03.65 for first place, comfortably under the World U20 Championships qualification time. On her England debut, Rebecca Keddie (Kingston AC and Polytechnic Harriers, Richard Holt) fought hard, and came home in fifth (2:08.86). Benjamin Gardiner (Tonbridge AC, Dean Miller), also making his England debut, smashed his season's best with 1:52.43 in second place.
In the men's Gandy Mile match race, it was a sprint to the line between England's Ted Higgins (Tonbridge AC, Mark Hookway) and GB Juniors' Freddie Rowe. Switching the leader throughout, it was a battle down to the final straight stride for stride until Rowe just pipped Higgins to the line. It was good news for Ted however as he secured a new lifetime best of 4:04.36. In the women's race, Scotland's Beth Ansell was twisting the screw and increasing the pace from 600m onwards. Annabel Hobday (Herne Hill Harriers, Craig Winrow) held on, chasing down Ansell to be rewarded with second place and 4:47.72.
The sun may not have been shining for the steeplechase but that didn't stop Anna Mae Bloomfield (Epsom and Ewell Harriers, Jennie Hodgson) who secured a new season's best of 10:38.33. Loughborough's Dillon Millard had a sensational race to take the win, setting a new lifetime best of 8:51.48. England's Sam Costley (Southampton AC) finished just outside of the podium with 9:01.26 after an outstanding run from GB Junior, Dillon Millard, hunting down World U20 selection.
The 3000m flat race featured debutant Ava Leadbetter (Newcastle University AC, Michael Todd). Starting conservatively, Leadbetter built into the race, ticking off athletes as the laps passed by rewarded with a new personal best (9:38.06) and seventh place. It was also seventh place for James Edgerton (Cambridge and Coleridge AC, Phil O'Dell, John Eves, Mark Vile) in a very fast finishing race.
Throws
Zara Obamakinwa (Blackheath and Bromley Harriers AC, Mark Chapman) put on a dominant display in the women's discus with a third round throw of 56.28m, just one week after sailing over the Commonwealth qualification standard. Feeling a little under the weather, Chukwuemeka Osammor (City of Sheffield and Dearne AC, James Taylor) elected to retire after the first round.
Keeping up the fantastic throwing was team captain and heptathlete, Ellen Barber (Yeovil Olympiads, John Lane) who threw a new PB of 14.15m in the shot put, bettering her previous best by 13cm - an excellent indicator of what is to come later this season. In the men's event Dillon Claydon (Blackheath and Bromley Harriers AC, Mark Edwards) returned to the field for his second event of the day after competing in the discus earlier in the morning. He threw a fantastic new personal best of 16.98, just one cm behind PANVAC's Lawson Capes - edging ever closer to the 17m line!
In the men's javelin Tom Rutter (Harrow, Tom Dobbing), threw a huge PB of 70.83m adding nearly four metres to his previous best. England's Joe Dunderdale (City of Sheffield & Dearne AC) threw a best of 65.67m for fourth place. Competing on home turf, Bekah Walton (Blackheath & Bromley Harriers) took the win in the women's event with a season's best of 56.79m. Lauren Farley (Blackheath and Bromley Harriers AC, Mark Chapman) for England had a fantastic competition, throwing a new season's best of 55.84m - around five metres better than her previous best.
Hammer was the final throwing event of the day as Jack Paget (Thames Valley Harriers, John Pearson) and Tara Simpson-Sullivan (Wigan Harriers) flew the flag for England. It was a game of change the leader in the women's competition, with Tara fantastically finishing on top with a fourth round best attempt of 63.41m. A competition troubled by no throws, it was a best of 66.56m for Jack Paget in an incredibly close men's event.
Hurdles
In the women's 100mH, Loughborough's Lucy Matthews crossed the line first, with England's Ariyanna McGee (Basildon AC/Thames Valley Harriers, Julie Alexander) home in second just 0.05 behind the leader. It was an incredibly tight race in the men's 110mH race with team captain, Sam Bennett (Basildon AC, Steve Surety) battling Daniel Goriola (Blackheath & Bromley, Tony Jarrett) barrier for barrier, with Goriola breaking the tape first - Bennett securing a new season's best of 13.72 in the process.
Over the full lap, Stephanie Okoro (Harrow AC, Laura Turner-Alleyne) was flying the flag for England. and came home in second in a time of 59.22. It was a similar story of dominance in the men's match race as Loughborough's Onyeka Okoh started fast out of the blocks. Into the final straight he was a good ten metres ahead. England's Ed Laws (Stevenage & North Herts, Catherine Walker) took a stumble off the final bend, but managed to stay upright and finish in a respectable third place (52.93).
Relays
As always, the relays were not without drama! From missed changeovers to new personal bests, the relays had it all. In the men's 4x100m, the team of Ojie Edoburun (Enfield and Haringey AC, David Sadkin), Jordan Watson-Brown (Birchfield Harriers, Clarence Callender), Daniel Offiah (Thames Valley Harriers, Linford Christie) and Ezekiel Lowe (Victoria Park Harriers and Tower Hamlets AC, Clarence Callender) safely navigated the baton changeovers to finish in third (39.82). The women's team unfortunately did not have the same fate and did not finish.
For the first time in the match race, we were delighted to welcome Youth Talent Programme teams. Brand new to racing together, both the development teams completed the race, with the women's team finishing on top in 46.09.
The final event of the day saw the mixed 4x400m relays. Again - with a brand-new team dynamic to navigate, it was an excellent result for England finishing in third place behind Wales and Loughborough in a time of 3:23.44.