Podcast #64: Olympic hopefuls seal spots in Paris
The latest England Athletics Podcast features a round-up from the UK Athletics Championships in Manchester, where Olympic hopefuls booked their spots at this summer's Paris 2024 Games.
17-year-old Phoebe Gill describes what it means to have won her first senior Great Britain and Northern Ireland vest after a stunning performance to win gold in the women's 800m in a brilliant time of 1 minute 58.66 seconds. Gill won the same title at the Commonwealth Youth Games with Team England last year and credits the event in Trinidad and Tobago for helping her to mature as an athlete.
Alastair Chalmers had the most dramatic day of anyone. He was initially disqualified for a false start in the men's 400m hurdles, but was later reinstated as champion after running under protest. Crucially, his winning time of 48.54 seconds in the Manchester rain, was inside the Olympic qualifying standard.
The podcast also hears from women's 200m champion Dina Asher-Smith, and 400m champion Amber Anning, who says she is now being mentored by 2008 Olympic gold medallist Christine Ohuruogu, having closed to within 0.1 seconds of Ohuruogu's national record this season.
Lina Nielsen – who was a kit carrier at London 2012 – also sealed her place in Paris, while Callum Wilkinson set a national record in the 10,000m race walk, which strongly boosted his chances of following up his 10th place in the 20 kilometre walk at Tokyo 2020.
In the field, high jump champion Morgan Lake – who has been to two Commonwealth Games with England – is off to her third Olympic Games.
Although he was disappointed to miss out on an international championship this year, Efe Uwaifo was delighted to have won back-to-back UK triple jump titles. The Harvard graduate, who has balanced working in finance with the sport, talks about realising his potential later in life and innovation in his event.
The episode can be listened to in full on Spotify, as well as Soundcloud and Apple Podcasts.
Photo by Pat Isaacs