Racers on the right track
James Hillier’s training group at the University of Bath enjoyed another impressive weekend at the 2018 Muller British Athletics Championships as they won three medals between them for a second successive year.
David King booked his place at this summer’s European Championships in Berlin by finishing runner-up to former Bath-based athlete Andrew Pozzi in the 110m hurdles final. King, who had won his heat, clocked 13.81secs in hot but breezy conditions at the Alexander Stadium in Birmingham. Leon Reid added to his Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games bronze medal by again finishing third in the 200m final, his time of 20.31 just four-hundredths of a second outside the personal best he had set in winning his heat. Cameron Chalmers was also on the podium as he won 400m bronze for a successive year at the British Championships in a time of 45.79. The 26th running of the Cotswold Way Relay saw a record entry of 118 teams and record temperatures for the event. The annual 102-mile, ten-stage relay from Chipping Campden to Bath saw Cheltenham win the senior men’s title with Team Bath AC a respectable fourth. The ladies went one better to finish third and on a successful day for the club, over40s men’s team took the veterans title. The race was fantastically organised by race director Luke Sturgessdurden, in his eighth year in the job, and was the biggest and best Cotswold Way Relay to date. Almost 170 athletes enjoyed a balmy evening at the University of Bath for the Team Bath Open Meeting. Teambath winners were Thomas Reece (U11 75m, 11.9secs), Charlie Staddon (U13 100m, 13.7 and 800m, 2mins 39.7), Filip Ozka (U15 100m, 12.1), Femi Akinbobola (U17 100m, in 11.6), Joel Mattacks (U17 100m race 2, 12.4), Alex Parsons (U17 3,000m, 9:17.6), Chester Burrage (U11 long jump, 3.78.), Jenna Doyle (U17 high jump, 1.45m) and Gabriella Holt (U20 hammer, 39.53). In addition, there were many second places and personal bests. Teambath travelled to Yate for the first Avon League match of the season, weakened by the clash on the same day with the YDL Upper Age group match at Exeter which took all the top U/17 and U/20 athletes. Subject to confirmation, it believed the club finished fifth. The sole track winner was Lucca Williams, who won the U17 men’s 100m in 11.9secs. There were a number of field winners, the outstanding performer Jonathan Burroughs, who won the U15 boys’ shot with a throw of 11.45m, well ahead of his rivals, that puts him eighth in the South West. Other winners in the field were Theo Harper in the U17 men’s pole vault with 2.9m, and Luke Scott in the U17 men’s long jump with 5.85m. Second places went to U13 girl Lottie Silverton (2:37.5), Emily Jones in the U13 high jump (1.25), Willow Glendenning in a new event for U15 girls, the triple jump, with a leap of 9.32m, 2cm behind the winner. Henrietta Pritchard clocked 46.3 in the U17 300m, Stella Harper in the U17 womens javelin fired 26.16, Dylan Stoneman in the U13 boys 800m recorded 2:27.6, Byron Mander threw 6.5m un the U13 shot, and Jake Cover clocked 17secs in the U17 100m hurdles. Third places went to Phoebe Card (U15 100m, 13.7), Josie Carter (U15 300m, 45.5), Glendenning (U15 high jump, 1,35), Eleni Francis (U15 triple jump, 9.22), Sophie Jones (U13 javelin, 10.41), Abby Rucker (U17 high jump, 1.15, and javelin, 20.14), Dylan Stoneman (U13 75m hurdles, 15.2), Kiran Carter (U15 long jump, 5.2) and Byron Mander (U13 discus, 15.63).