UK Outdoor August 2019

[RunUnlimited]

Oops! Forgot that we're now in August!

Discuss all UK related athletic goings on during this month here please. European Team Championships and the British Athletics World Championship trials, as well as the Birmingham Diamond League meeting, being the main highlights of this month, with plenty of UK athletes on display and hopefully some top performances that will put down markers as we near the Doha World Championships in late September/October

[carterhatch]

Bless you, RunUnlimited, I was going to mention we needed a new month, but knew we could rely on you. Indeed, an admin note, I wish AW would give you the power to delete all this spam, it really is frustrating.

I do hope we have some exciting performances from UK athletes outside of the usual names, but I do slightly worry that Doha will only see medals for KJT, DASHER and Ms. Muir.

Some notable athletes seem to be missing from any kind of build up, Eliidh Doyle, MHS (I read here that he was injured) and Reece Prescod is awfully quiet ...

Cheers ...

[jjimbojames]

Prescod was in an online article saying he’s taking his time and that he feels three athletes could challenge the British record this summer (him, Hughes and Ujah). Not sure if that was written very early and only just published or if it means he’s just gone low profile again

[treadwater1]

Charlotte Payne threw 67.99 with the 3kg hammer to improve Sophie Hitchons u18 best.

[RunUnlimited]

Charlotte Payne threw 67.99 with the 3kg hammer to improve Sophie Hitchons u18 best.

She's certainly a talent. Got into the European U-20 hammer final a fortnight ago and finished a respectable 7th place with the 4kg implement, as one of the youngest competitors there.

[RunUnlimited]

Over at the Bern meeting, Martyn Rooney's slow season continued as he clocked a very pedestrian 47.00 in the 400m, coming a distant 2nd to Saudi Arabian Mazen Al-Yassin's 45.82.

In his three individual 400m races this season, Rooney has yet to break 47 seconds. (The last time he ran 47 seconds or slower was way back in the heats of the British Olympic Trials in 2008, ambling around the track in 48 seconds and qualifying easily!)
I think it might be time for Rooney to consider his future, because I don't see how he's going to turn this form around in 8 weeks. Maybe he's still got a 4 x 400 relay leg in him still, but as an individual athlete? I think he's done.

[philipo]

Prescod was in an online article saying he’s taking his time and that he feels three athletes could challenge the British record this summer (him, Hughes and Ujah). Not sure if that was written very early and only just published or if it means he’s just gone low profile again

a nice comforting dreamworld; i will be amazed if any of our sprinters beats Linford christies record any time soon; Ujah in perticular is nowhere near the form necessary to even low 9.9 s

[jjimbojames]

With Rodger out injured and Green sitting this year out, Chris looks like being our number one, but Jacob’s season is now getting into full swing and I wouldn’t write him off, so the two training mates will hopefully push each other to both being on the plane. Be delighted for them, if they can.

Good competition for the ladies - Trials should be a cracker

[RunUnlimited]

i noted the Jessica Turner result on Po10 last night, well done, not sure what happened to Lina Nielson in the same race as well down. I remarked earlier in the season that, while not of the highest standard in world terms, the women's 400h at the trials could be a very close contest, with Ms. Doyle no where to be seen, there are 3/4 ladies who could all push their PBs even higher

I'm going to guess that Lina Nielson's poor run was largely due to her being in lane 1 in Bern, which is probably the hardest lane to have for a 400m hurdler.

Well done to Jessica Turner though, she's been on the cusp of sub-56 for awhile now and it's good to see her finally achieve that and get the Doha standard too.

Also Chris McAlister is becoming one of the big breakout stories in UK athletics this year. Before the 9th June this year, he'd never run quicker than 50.39. But ever since his breakthrough race in Geneva, he has been the most consistent and quickest British man over the 400m hurdles this season. He will get the Doha standard eventually. Either at the World Championship trials or at the Birmingham DL where he is sure to get a lane.
Let's not forget Jacob Paul either, who ran a big season's best of 49.89 coming 3rd in the same race, his fastest time in a couple of years.

Just as the 400m hurdles for women at the trials will be a very competitive race, the same will be true for the men's, with McAlister, Paul, Chalmers (no doubt looking to make up for his DQ in Boras), Knibbs, Lawrie, and even outsiders like Okoro, all in the mix to get both the qualifying standard and a automatic spot on the team.

[RunUnlimited]

With Rodger out injured and Green sitting this year out, Chris looks like being our number one, but Jacob’s season is now getting into full swing and I wouldn’t write him off, so the two training mates will hopefully push each other to both being on the plane. Be delighted for them, if they can.

Good competition for the ladies - Trials should be a cracker

Dang, didn't know Rodger was injured. He looked good in that Geneva meeting back in June too.

I think Alistair Chalmers might be right in there with a chance too. I have no doubt that he would have not only won the gold medal at the Euro U-20's, but also become the first British U-20 400m hurdler to run sub 50 seconds, and substantially so. Unfortunately, his DQ after the semi-final put paid to that. But I think it will no give him the motivation to try and get onto the senior squad.

[treadwater1]

Quite a line up for the women’s 200 in Birmingham

Dina
SMU
Schippers
SAFP (Thompson has withdrawn)
Ta Lou
Okagbare
Bryant
Amy Hunt

Extremely harsh on Beth Dobbin who should have an invite of merit (currently ranked 14th in the world) but what an opportunity for Amy Hunt

[RunUnlimited]

Quite a line up for the women’s 200 in Birmingham

Dina
SMU
Schippers
SAFP (Thompson has withdrawn)
Ta Lou
Okagbare
Bryant
Amy Hunt

Extremely harsh on Beth Dobbin who should have an invite of merit (currently ranked 14th in the world) but what an opportunity for Amy Hunt

Personally, they could have had two 200m races in Birmingham, a "B" and "A" race, such is the depth of quality in the event this year, and I'd have swapped Hunt for Dobbin. Why the need to heap huge pressure onto Hunt's slender shoulders at just 17 years old? In the "B" race, she could still take on a quality feel of international class 200m runners, without having the potential to get absolutely smoked by the likes of SMU, Dina, Schippers and SAFP that could severely dent her confidence at this stage of her career.

Meanwhile, Dobbin would get another opportunity to show her development going against a world class field. She was excellent at the BAL meeting yesterday, setting a 100m PB of 11.51 in not ideal conditions in Birmingham, then storming to a dominant 200m win later in the day. Getting into that top field against the line up in the Diamond League meeting would be a worthy reward for Dobbin. She has been hard done by here.

[CAML]

In at the deep end for Amy. I don't think she's ready for a line up of that caliber.

[RunUnlimited]

In at the deep end for Amy. I don't think she's ready for a line up of that caliber.

Agreed.

Hunt is a special talent and has run faster than some of the most legendary sprinters in athletics history have ever run at the same age.... But that doesn't mean she is ready to take on *senior* level athletes who have run waaay faster than 22.42 in their careers and are gearing up for the World Championships.

Whoever conceived of this stupid idea should be fired from their job. Also if I was Hunt's coach I'd kindly decline the invite and have Dobbin take her place. This is totally unfair on Amy Hunt and she shouldn't have to go through this at her age. This smacks of an ill-thought out publicity stunt from UK Athletics, who believed they could make Hunt the new "face" of GB sprinting.

Idiotic.

[RunUnlimited]

A result that most likely slipped under peoples' radar that I just saw on Power Of Ten....

Daryll Neita at the Lee Valley 100m/200m Sprint Series event on the 31st July, ran the 200m, her first run at the distance since 2014 when she was just 18 years old (24.44). Her PB over 200m goes back even further to 2012, running 24.32 as a 16 year old.

Well, at Lee Valley, Neita smashed her old lifetime best with a 23.03 (+1.7 m/s) clocking as she came 4th in that race, just 0.01 outside of the Doha qualifying standard!
She also ran the 100m, clocking 11.31, but surely that 200m time is something to really take note of.

(BTW, this was at the same event where Richard Kilty ran 20.39, so I don't know how we missed Neita's performance.)