England Athletics U20/Senior Championships and Senior Para Championships: Day 3 report
As the dust settled after a sensational London Diamond League the previous afternoon, it was back to business in Birmingham at Day Three of the England Championships. Very much the engine room of the sport, it’s this championship that provides that all-important first step for the Olympians, British and European record holders we’ll see in Paris later this month. The building blocks for fantastic careers start right here.
And with the U20 athletes hoping to secure team places on the GB team for the World Champs in Peru next month and senior and U23 spots available for the Manchester International, as ever athletes and spectators were treated to a fabulous day of finals, world class performances and plenty of drama, not to mention a world record in the Para Athletics competition. Here’s how the action unfolded:
Senior Women
Darcey Kuypers (Linford Christie, Blackheath and Bromley), the 100 Champion from Saturday added the 200 title to her ever-growing collection with a huge personal best of 23.70. Not a bad weekend’s work for last year’s short sprint gold medallist in 2023.
A third-round throw of 47.43 secured the javelin gold medal for Freya Jones (David Callaway, NEB). Throwing into a wind that gusted as much as -3.9m/s did prove to be testing and restricted every competitor’s distance, but with the pressure off and the gold guaranteed, Jones improved to 48.46 with her final effort. “The headwind isn’t good for the javelin, especially when it’s so strong” she said. “I just wanted to win. Being in this stadium is so good, I’m so excited we’re finally using it.”
Exciting is a great way to sum up the triple jump which saw Adelaide Omitowoju (Benjamin Harris, Harrow) hang on by just 2cm. She won with 13.17 but had to watch as the very last jumper in the competition, Lily Hulland (Femi Akinsanya, TVH) touched down at 13.15.
Alicia Barrett (Lewis Samuel, Sheffield and Dearne), who’s been winning national titles at various sprint hurdles distances at national level since 2012, clocked 13.27 in the 100H to win yet another title. That’s an impressive medal cabinet.
U23 Women
Rachel Bennett (Anita Richardson, Sale Harriers) demonstrated superb power to run a legal 23.30 to win the 200 comfortably (It also showed just how spectacular the U20 race had been given she’s run inside 23sec on a better day). Orla Brennan (Mike Bennett, Windsor Slough Eton and Hounslow) was equally in control on her way to the gold medal in the 400H, which she won in 59.61. In the field, Molly Palmer (Lukasz Zawila, Charnwood) won the long jump with 6.42 in the sixth round. Until that point, it had been close, but she stretched her lead to more than 20cm with that effort.
U20 Women
Clocking the sixth best ever by a Briton, Mia McIntosh (Jake Awe, Harrow) flew to a national title in the 100H. Her 13.28 was a PB by 0.07sec but more importantly she has the qualifying time and won the champ. Next stop Lima, Peru.
The 200 was a fabulous race with the top three all leaning for the line simultaneously. Renee Regis (Darren Braithwaite, Shaftesbury Barnet) produced a huge PB and World U20 qualifying 23.15 down from 23.41 to nick it by 0.03sec.
The 3000 was fabulous for different reasons: it was one for the record books as after a relatively sedate opening kilometre of 3:08, Innes Fitzgerald (Gavin Pavey, Exeter) put her head down and picked up the pace. She ran six minutes flat for the next five laps to cross the line in 9:08.96, a CBP by six seconds.
Charlotte Henrich (Nigel Stickings, Invicta East Kent) had looked magnificent in the qualifying rounds on Saturday, running 53.33 and she turned that superb form into a gold medal over 400 metres, clocking 53.34. It was a great addition to the 200 metres she won the previous week at the English Schools. “It was really windy, and I was really nervous before, but it all went OK. I did the 200 last week and I didn’t start well, but this was better today. Next up is the U20 Worlds,” she said.
Just as the seniors struggled with the wind in the javelin, so Ayesha Jones (Janina Pownall, Marshall Milton Keynes) also found conditions tough on her way to the gold medal. She did throw 47.34, but the English Schools winner last week said: “it was definitely tricky and because the javelin is so light it really affects how the javelin flies.”
Senior Men
The 400 promised to be one of the races to watch on the programme with any one of four capable of stealing the limelight. Efekemo Okoro (Tony Hadley, Birchfield), however, had other ideas and after a lightning fast opening 200 metres, the gold medal never looked in doubt. He was a comfortable winner in 46.22. “It was about finding a different rhythm today,” he said, explaining that he was using the event as part of his hurdling preparation. “Training has been going really well, so I felt confident,” he added.
It was a much closer affair for Tyri Donovan (Windsor Slough Eton and Hounslow) who displayed two important skills in the 400H. His hurdling was immaculate, especially down the back straight as he built up a huge lead, then in the final two strides as his legs began to tie up, he demonstrated a perfect dip for the line to win the gold medal… by 0.01sec as he ran 50.29.
One athlete who enjoyed a slightly larger winning margin was Luke Dorrell (AFD), yesterday’s winner of the 100. He took the 200 title with a 20.81 clocking, fully 0.18sec clear, comfortable at this level. “I felt great even though it was a lot as I don’t usually double up at a championship,” he said.
U23 Men
George Seery (Stuart Marshall, Blackheath and Bromley) kept his form perfectly as hurdles were clattered all around him in the 400H to win with 51.87. In an equally close finish, Alex Cooper (Grant Barker, Harrow) kept his form to win in 47.47, less than 0.2sec covering the top three. On paper the 200 should have been a close race but the 100 champion, Tyler Panton (Peter Griffiths, Woking) even had time to wave to the crowd, stopping the clock at 21.23. Thomas Wilcock (Jerzy Maciukiewicz, Northampton) was also in the business of adding to his collection, taking back to back titles in the 110H, winning gold with 13.83 (he won last year in 13.98).
U20 Men
With three within 0.15sec of the qualifying time for the World U20s 200m, this was always going to be a tight race. They needed 20.85 but the wind wouldn’t play ball and Fabian Powell (James Wright, Rugby and Northampton), who clocked 20.99 in qualifying had to be content with the gold medal and 21.15. “I just went out and tried to run as hard as possible,” said a slightly disappointed Powell. “The wind didn’t help but you never know,” he added.
Similarly, a shake of the head said it all for Samael Lunt (Andrew Fraser, Wirral) after his win in the 400H. He’s on the plane to Peru thanks to his time from earlier this season (50.30 in Brussels), but here in Birmingham he clipped the final hurdle which slowed him to 51.40.
In the high jump Ethan Glyde (Denis Doyle, City of Portsmouth) is midway through changing the way he trains, so he was more than happy to win the competition with 2.06. “The atmosphere was brilliant in this amazing stadium. Maybe this wasn’t the best competition in terms of height, but I’ve made some changes in my training which takes some time to get used to,” he explained. “This was my last competition to get the world standard, which unfortunately I couldn’t get (he had one go at 2.15) but I’m happy with how it went.”
It was a similar case in the pole vault. Indeed, when an athlete clears a height like 5.20 in the vault, understandably the whole stadium turns a collective head as that’s an impressive looking height. Will Lane (Trevor Fox, Sheffield and Dearne) cleared it at the second time of asking for a massive 14cm PB. He then raised the bar to 5.25, a World U20 qualifying height. He had one close attempt but could go no higher.
The 110 hurdles was the final event of the day but was well worth waiting for as Daniel Goriola (Tony Jarret, Blackheath and Bromley) clocked a very powerful looking 13.30. He whacked a couple of hurdles, but it didn’t seem to slow him on his way to the national title.
Para Championships
The stand-out performance came in the shot putt which saw a para athlete world record by Wales’ Sabrina Fortune (Ryan Spencer-Jones, Deeside, F20) who threw 14.83. She beat her own mark of 14.73 by 10cm and establishes her as the clear No.1 in the world. “It feels crazy, I wasn’t expecting it at all. I couldn’t see the scoreboard, so I didn’t even know I’d got the world best. And the way it’s going at the moment, I think I can go even further,” she said, very happy with how things are progressing as she prepares for bigger things like the Paralympics.
Picking up from where he left off on Saturday after a 50.41, Columba Blango (Chris Zah, Shaftesbury Barnet Harriers, T20) flew to an equally impressive 50.40 to win the 400 metres. As impressive was the Commonwealth Youth champion, Madeline Down (Mike Bennett, Halesowen, T38) who produced a huge 4.75 in the long jump to take the gold medal.
The men’s 100 saw Emmanuel Oyinbo-Coker (Nat Senior, NEB, T47) clock a spectacular 11.02. “It was amazing apart from the fact we had a headwind in the final. This is my first time back since winning the Commonwealth Games here, so I’ve had a great time. The track is so good,” he said.