GB & NI under-20 athletes soar in Lima, Peru

Last week the country's most promising junior athletes were in action in the Peruvian capital at the World Athletics Under-20 Championships. With 16 of the English athletes currently supported by the England Youth or Junior Talent Programmes, we were proud to support and watch future Olympians take on the world's best. Let's see how the English contingent got on:

Speed

In the 200m, Renee Regis (Darren Braithwaite, Shaftesbury Barnet) and Jake Odey-Jordan (Victor Blackett) booked their spots in the final whilst Kissiwaa Mensah (Prince Duwai, Chelmsford) just missed out with a best time of 23.90. It was a sensational final for Odey-Jordan as he snatched a bronze medal in the 200m final in a time of 20.81 seconds. Speaking after his race:

“It feels great. I am just young, I have more to come. I've got more years of being in Under-20s so I will make it count. I was just trying to complete my race model. I didn’t want to do something bad like chase on the curve. I just did what my coach wanted me to do and execute. I did what I could but the last 50m I gave out so I just have to work on it.”

Just moments later Renee Regis contested the 200m final and finished in sixth place with 23.38. On the opportunity, Regis reflected: “It was such a surreal feeling, I know half of these people went to the Olympics. Just being able to race with them is testament to how far I have come. It is such a great feeling."

Sam Lunt (Wirral) continued his electric season to set a new British under-20 record of 50.00 in the 400m hurdles semi-final, beating the previous best of 50.07 set by Olympian Alistair Chalmers. In the final, Lunt finished fifth with a time of 50.29, the second-fastest time of his career.

100m hopefuls Nia Wedderburn-Goodison (Ryan Freckleton, Harrow) and Teddy Wilson (Marvin Rowe, Shaftesbury Barnet) both booked their spots in the final. Team captain Nia clocked 11.39 to qualify joint fastest with Wilson posting 10.35 to qualify fifth fastest. Commonwealth Youth Games finalist, Mabel Akande unfortunately missed out on the world final by 0.01s. In the final, it was fourth place for Nia in 11.46, with Teddy finishing 7th place overall in 10.47.

After a successful season so far seeing her become England champion over the one lap, Charlotte Henrich (Nigel Stickings, Invicta East Kent) had a clean heat, battling in the semi-final to secure her place on the start line of the final. Finishing seventh overall, the 17 year-old was happy with how her race panned out:

"I am very happy because I have had a lot of stress coming in and I thought if I managed to get through it, that was good. I was feeling a bit ill before the start of the race but I got through it. I am happy with the time. I definitely still have a lot to learn and this has taught me a lot. It has been really nice to see how much support is around me when I do need it.”

Thea Brown (Joanne Harding, Sale Harriers Manchester) and Mia McIntosh (Jake Awe, Harrow) both progressed to the semi-finals of the women’s 100m hurdles but were unable to reach the final. In the men’s 110m hurdles, Daniel Goriola (Tony Jarrett, Blackheath and Bromley) and Noah Hanson (Carl Graham, Newham & Essex Beagles) both exited at the semi-final stage after impressive runs in the morning’s heats.

Relays

The men’s 4x100m quartet of Jake Odey-Jordan (coach: Victor Blackett), Joel Masters (Jon Humphries-Cuff, BFT Track Academy), Dean Patterson (David Watson, Glasgow Jaguars), and Teddy Wilson (Marvin Rowe, Shaftesbury Barnet), which also included Fabian Powell (James Wright, Rugby & Northampton) in the heats, earned an impressive silver and a season's best time of 39.20.

A brilliant bronze followed with the women’s 4x400m squad of Charlotte Henrich (Nigel Stickings, Invicta East Kent), Emma Holmes (Victor Oyesola, West Cheshire), Kara Dacosta (Stephen Ball, Trafford) and Rebecca Grieve (Francis Smith, Woodford Green Essex Ladies). The women’s 4x400m team, which also featured Jess Astill (Paul Keeble, Stevenage & North Herts) and Nandy Kihuyu (John Henson, Sheffield & Dearne) in the heats, earned bronze in a season’s best time of 3:32.80.

Endurance

The very first medal of the championships was secured by Ed Bird (Mark Pauley, Poole) in a fantastically executed 3000m. The 19 year-old didn't let the pressure of the world stage phase him as his perfectly timed sprint for the line saw him battle with Ethiopia's Ybeltal Gashahun, who just pipped him to the silver. Pleased with the bronze and 8:21.00, Bird said:

“It was perfect. I said in my plan I would hang around the back, get that inside lane and chill out. Every time the pace picked up I just found the gap to get through.

“I just kept going and going until we got to two laps to go, picked up, got myself back. When the bell went I didn’t surge, I waited, down that back straight I started going and didn’t stop going.”

Teammate Henry Dover (Shaftesbury Barnet) fought hard through the race to finish 21st in 9:14.74.

In the women's 3000m, Innes Fitzgerald (Gavin Pavey, Exeter) and Jess Bailey (Matthew Long, Leven Valley) were representing GB & NI. After a fabulous season so far, Innes seemed in reach of a podium position, sitting with the lead pack for the majority of the race. It wasn't until the final lap when the extra injection of pace became too much for the British hopeful, she finished an agonising fourth place but with an outstanding new PB of 8:57.01. England silver medallist and YTP athlete, Jess Bailey, also posted a fantastic new personal best of 9:06.92, peaking at the perfect point in the season. Reflecting on an exciting experience, Bailey commented:

“I thought our tactics going into it were bob on, I knew what I needed to do, when I needed to do it. At the point when they pushed on, I knew I needed to be there but I think especially after the heats yesterday I just didn’t have it in my legs.

“I have really enjoyed it. Peru is not somewhere I have ever been before. I have brought the club’s Paddington Bear, he has been on a little tour of Peru and I will give it back to the kids at the club. It is part of inspiring the next generation.”

In the women's 1500m, it was a scrappy race where Ava Lloyd (Trevor Painter, Wigan & District) was made to fight for space. She finished in fifth place in a time of 4:20.64. Looking back on the race, the YTP athlete said: “The two races that I have done here are probably the most violent and brutal races that I have ever done. It’s all a learning experience. It is always an honour to put on the GB vest and I am very grateful to be here. I am very grateful I could come at these champs the way I have done.” George Couttie (Joanne Day, Harrogate) finished 11th in the men’s 1500m, and admitted he was disappointed with the race but was pleased with how he battled hard throughout.

Colchester's Lizzie Wellsted attacked the 5000m to finish in 12th (16:21.50). After a challenging build up and a long journey over to Central America, Lizzie was pleased with her race and grateful to be wearing the union jack.

Over the two laps, William Rabjohns (Mark Pauley, Poole) and Henry Jonas (Tim Ash, City of Norwich) both narrowly missed out on places in the 800m final as the paces proved just too punchy in the final straight.

Throws

After a season glittered with first place finishes, it was a tough field for Ayesha Jones (Janina Pawnall, Marshall Milton Keynes) in the javelin final as she finished in ninth place with a best of 49.37m. She did however throw a PB in qualifying of 51.78m (9th all time) and she’s got another year at least as an U20. Cleo Agyepong (John Hillier, Blackheath and Bromley) contested the shot put qualifying where she threw a best effort of 13.48m to miss out on the top 12 qualifiers for the final.

Jumps

Will Lane (Trevor Fox, Sheffield & Dearne) struggled to replicate the top form he showed earlier this season in the men's pole vault and did not qualify for the final with a best of 4.95.

Pictures courtesy of British Athletics