Lonsdale belts around track for 800m glory
YOUNG STAR GOES ONE BETTER IN SECOND BIG RACE
MARKHIM LONSDALE went one better after finishing second in the Manchester International earlier in the week to go on and secure victory in the BMC Grand Prix at Stretford.
The European under-20 800 metres silver medallist immediately dropped behind the pacemaker until he dropped out at the bell which was reached in 52 seconds.
The Crook athlete, who has a pb of 1min 46.97secs, kept up the momentum over the final circuit to come home for a comfortable win in 1:47.63.
There were numerous other North East athletes in action at the Manchester venue and, despite the blustery conditions, made the trip worthwhile.
In the 800m E race, Gateshead’s Andrew Roen was first across the line in a new lifetime best of 1:53.18, while in the same race, Tynedale’s Jonny Currie clocked a season’s best of 1:53.71 after finishing like a train to claim third place.
As well as a series of two-lap races, the programme also had 1,500, 3,000 and 10,000m contests, the latter billed as the English Championships and a trial for next year’s Commonwealth Games.
In the metric mile races, Durham University’s Cameron Field ran a pb of 3:42.75 for second place in the B race while Rory Leonard also set a new lifetime best when finishing fourth in the E event in 4:00.17. Not to be outdone, Darlington’s Lucy-Erin Hunter also posted a new pb of 4:30.77 to win the women’s C race.
Jarrow and Hebburn’s Loughborough University student George Lowery set a new pb when finishing 12th in the 3,000m B race, finishing with a time of 8:45.77.
In the 10,000m, the region’s athletes all faced the starter in the B race and it was pbs all the way.
Middlesbrough and Cleveland’s Greg Jayasuriya finished in second place in 31:18.53, an improvement of 40 seconds on his previous best, while teenager Alex Brown (Houghton), in only his second attempt over the distance on the track, finished fifth in 31:46.26, which was nearly two minutes quicker than he had ever run before and now places him third in this year’s UK under-20 10,000m rankings.
Brown’s Houghton team-mate Lee Dover also set a new pb of 33:20.50 when finishing in 18th place.