O’HARE FRONTS A CLEAN SWEEP
Chris leads a Scots 1-2-3-4 in 1,500m trials
Chris O’hArE led an historic scottish success at the British world championship trials in Birmingham yesterday after pushing himself beyond the pain barrier.
The double European medallist, 26, held off young pretenders Josh Kerr and Jake Wightman as the graduates of Edinburgh Athletics Club shared the podium, with Glaswegian prospect Neil Gourley nipping at their heels in fourth in the 1,500metres.
But O’hare’s victory was all the more remarkable for the hamstring tweaks he sustained just hours before the final.
‘Warming up was scary,’ he said. ‘i spent most of my warm-up on the physio bed just so it doesn’t cramp up on me when i did a stride. That was worrying and i wasn’t entirely sure i was going to start. And then i wasn’t sure i was going to be fit enough. With 300m to go, i just thought: “i have to get this done”. it was sore but not sore enough.
‘There is that discretionary spot on the team and your thought is if it was better to not run and have a better race in London next week and try to prove i’m one of the best, rather than blowing up here and be done.’
With the top two assured of their places in the British team for London next month ahead of next week’s initial wave of selectors, 19-year-old Kerr underlined the pedigree he has established from his multiple titles on the American collegiate circuit by overhauling Wightman on the line, leaving the recent Diamond League Oslo victor to sweat on his spot.
‘i’ve had a long season already,’ said Kerr. ‘But i came in pretty fresh because i took some days off after the NCAAs (National Collegiate Athletics Association championships). so i said to myself: “i’m ready to do a bigger competition”. if i did myself justice, then i’d be ready to make the team. i didn’t want to go and run European Under-23s.’
Lynsey sharp was edged into third in the 800m as shelayna Oskan-Clarke and Adelle Tracey took the two automatic places, while Guy Learmonth’s silver in the men’s 800m means he now must chase down the qualifying standard, perhaps at next sunday’s Anniversary Games in London.
steph Twell and Eilish McColgan added a scottish one-two in the 5,000m to cement their call-up, with the Dundonian passing a late fitness test following a torn hamstring before snaring silver.
But there will be fresh blood too from north in the border in the shape of Zoey Clark, whose status as UK No 1 in the 400m was affirmed with her maiden British title.
‘i won’t say it’s a surprise as i knew it was in me,’ said the 22-year-old, who recently secured a first-class degree in chemical engineering.
‘But, in previous years, i might not have even got to the final of this event, so it’s a quite a big jump but i’m so chuffed with it.
‘it’s competitive in Britain over 400m and it’s very close at the top of the rankings this year and anything could have happened out there.’
With Andy Butchart easing to the 5,000m title on saturday, Eilidh Doyle did likewise in the 400m hurdles with her fourth successive domestic crown despite confessing she had taken her eye a little off the ball.
‘sometimes when you know the other girls aren’t in best shape, you can take it easy and your strides are off and it makes the job harder,’ said Doyle.
‘in hurdles, you’re always looking for the perfect race.’
With the first wave of selections to be unveiled on July 11, UK Athletics selectors now have a number of headaches with sprint stars Adam Gemili and Dina Asher-smith, along with Olympic gold medallist Christine Ohuruogu, on the brink of missing the Worlds.
With Ohuruogu, who failed to make the 400m final, confirming her impending retirement, she may not even be handed a relay berth. Asher-smith’s sixth place in the women’s 100m on her return from a broken foot means she will need to make rapid progress. While CJ Utah’s late withdrawal from the men’s 100m final creates one other dilemma.
Netheneel Mitchell-Blake and Danny Talbot wrapped up their places in the 200m and injury-hit Gemili — who was fourth in rio last summer — acknowledged he may lose out to Zharnel hughes after toiling to sixth.
‘i can put my case forward maybe off my history,’ said Gemili. ‘But, at the moment, i’ve got a lot of work to do.’
Elsewhere, there were silvers for Emma Nuttall in the high jump and Jax Thoirs in the pole vault but fellow scots Mark Dry and Chris Bennett look set to miss out on London after coming third and fourth in the hammer.
“Warming up was scary. It was worrying”