Birthday girl’s best present is a trip to Euros
DOUBLE Olympian Laura Weightman celebrated her birthday in the best way possible - by booking her ticket on the plane for next month’s European Championships in Berlin by retaining her British 1,500 metres title in Birmingham’s Alexander Stadium yesterday.
It was a fitting climax to her 27th birthday in the penultimate event of the two-day national championships as she dug deep on the home straight to hit the front under the watchful eye of coach Steve Cram.
With the qualifying time already in the bank, the Morpeth athlete was content to sit in behind the leaders in the early stages - until former Jarrow and Hebburn athlete Sarah McDonald broke away with 300 metres to go, which saw a gap of three metres quickly open up.
However, Weightman, who won a Commonwealth bronze 5,000 metres medal earlier in the year, called on all her experience to haul in the leader in the closing stages.
The winning time (4:08.80) was immaterial, winning was the target to earn her place at the Europeans and she did that with confidence.
McDonald was just pipped for second place (4:09.28) by Scotland’s Jemma Reekie (4:09.10) and, with Laura Muir expected to claim one of the three places for Berlin, the Tyneside-born athlete may well miss out.
Charlie Myers also made it to the top of the podium by winning an exciting pole vault competition and he, like Weightman, will take his place in the Europeans.
The Teessider claimed the gold medal after clearing 5:55 metres at his second attempt after taking three attempts to clear 5:45m!
It was an equalling-personal-best height for the Chris Boundy-coached athlete and with it came his first senior national title.
As well as the champions, the region had numerous other athletes in the championships.
Gateshead’s Niall Flannery won his 400m hurdles heat in 50.84s but in the final, while in third place entering the home straight, he faded to finish seventh as he jogged home in 52.10s.
Flannery’s Gateshead team-mate teenager Amelia Bateman made her senior championship debut and finished seventh in the high jump with a pb-equalling 1:75m clearance.
Another Gateshead athlete, Sophie Littlemore, finished seventh in the shot (13:49m) and ninth in the discus (44:40m).