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**Runner88** · 25-08-19, 17:30

Day 2 a lot better than Day 1 thankfully and as expected.

Thrilled for Oskan-Clarke who once again gets the better of Sharp. Bell will get that 3rd spot.

I would pick Wightman over Grice. He has better results at championships and did get the 3rd place. The problem is that at the Worlds none of the races will be won in 3.48. So the result today won't have much bearing on how they perform in the heats. Any race run at a faster pace and Grice would have the measure of Gourley, but why he ran that the way he did only he knows.

Are the selectors going to consider Grice for the thrid 800m spot? Is that as crazy as it sounds? He has the QT. The other 800m messed up their races. I don't think Spencer Thomas or Learmonth will get the time. I would take Webb, Giles and Grice. Webb and Giles have performed well through the season. At the top level then Grice would stand a better chance than the other men. A shame that Langford who should be a world bronze medalist from London is likely not going to be going anywhere this year...

**Runner88** · 25-08-19, 17:33

Irozuru is one of the best stories of the entire season. Retired and then comes back to smash her PB. What's happened to Ugen. She was a 7m jumper last year and I'm sure she had more a hitchkick technique. Has injury affected her technique this year? She seems to always have the potential for a big jump but hasn't happened for whatever reason this year. Yet again Sawyers pulls it out of the bag on the big occasion. I hope she gets the invite to Doha.

**RunUnlimited** · 25-08-19, 18:11

Originally posted by Runner88 View Post

Irozuru is one of the best stories of the entire season. Retired and then comes back to smash her PB. What's happened to Ugen. She was a 7m jumper last year and I'm sure she had more a hitchkick technique. Has injury affected her technique this year? She seems to always have the potential for a big jump but hasn't happened for whatever reason this year. Yet again Sawyers pulls it out of the bag on the big occasion. I hope she gets the invite to Doha.

It could be injuries with Ugen, though haven't heard any news of that for her this season... This season was so unlike last year, where Ugen was the last leg runner in the Commonwealth Games 4x100 and helped win a gold medal, then later in the year she made the final of the 100m individual event and ran a lifetime best of 11.41 in the process. A day later, she jumped 7.05m.

But I think what happened in Berlin, with her massively underperforming in the final as the then world #1, has carried over into this year. She's not used the 100m as a springboard for her LJ and as a result, she just hasn't been at the same level this season.

Contrast this Mihambo of Germany. She's been using the 100m for speed work this year and has improved to 11.21 in that event and that speed has translated into her main event the long jump, with all of these consectutive 7 meter jumps the last couple of months.

Izoruru's return to the sport and now showing her potential after all of her injury issues that forced her to "retire", is indeed a fabulous story in British athletics. 6.86m and with certainly more to come, especially as she's revealed a competitive edge when going up against the world's best this year.

**philipo** · 25-08-19, 19:35

Originally posted by RunUnlimited View Post

If ONLY MHS had been fit earlier in the summer.... To run 45.15 SB in just his 3rd race of the year shows that he is an athlete well capable of going significantly under 45 seconds, certainly faster than his PB of 44.48

"certainly faster than 44.48". thats been said for some years . I have not seen such likelihood as yet.

**philipo** · 25-08-19, 19:40

Originally posted by Laps

Agreed. Wightman is a better bet in a Championship race as shown by his medals at the Europeans and Commonwealth Games. Grice is not a front runner and 3.30 is not much good to you when championship nous, positioning, sharp acceleration and determination are all.

Grice is clearly not bright enough to realise that 3.31 in a DL, when you dont have too much to worry about except a PB, is not a trials race and his lack of courage and tactical sense in trying to mess around instead of dominating has i hope got him no place on the team; fortunately i cannot see our middle distance men doing much in Doha, anyway.

**philipo** · 25-08-19, 19:44

well done to Taylor Campbell witha Hammer PB. What happened to Weightman, a 14.51 sec runner just looked as if she thought that Judd would be a pushover in the last 200m.!!
All the talk about the heat; it will still be 27 degrees or thereabouts in Dohafor the long sistance athletes.

**Occasional Hope** · 25-08-19, 20:19

some challenging discussions ahead for the selectors. I think they may feel obliged to take Grice due to his fast time earlier on, but his tactics were non existent, and I would pick Wightman. But I would also pick one of the. For the 800, bc no one in that race with the standard ran well.

**gghurdler** · 25-08-19, 21:35

That was an exceptional men’s 200, Gemili looks to be in the best shape I’ve ever seen him and Mitchell-Blake who was 4th in London and got silver last year likely won’t get selected

**gghurdler** · 25-08-19, 21:40

There is a men’s 1500 at the Berlin meeting next weekend, there isn’t one at this Thursdays diamond league fixture, it could prove to be Grices get out of jail card. There is an 800 for men in Zurich

**ibarnett01** · 25-08-19, 23:17

What's happened to Katie Snowden?

**irishman** · 26-08-19, 00:54

Well, that was a weekend. Some really interesting choices for the selectors - some absolute headaches.

The biggest clusterf**k, selection wise, is the men's 800, obviously - but fate may save their bacon; I don't honestly think Thomas and Learmouth will get the time, and they'll bring the three they would have wanted to take in the first place - Webb, Giles, Langford.
The 1500 was less of an obvious shambles, but the dilemma for the selectors is worse - having to choose between Grice and Wighteman is probably the one choice they dreaded from the middle distance races. Grice has no-one to blame but himself. TBH I'd chose Wightman on that basis alone - but I suspect the selectors will pick Grice.

In sprints, Hughes disappointed this weekend, and can count himself fortunate that Prescod was injured; Gemili on the other hand is absolutely back. Delighted that Edoburun finally held it together for an important race,and can't see them looking past Zharnel for the third slot. Ujah will be brought for relay leg 1. In 200, Gemili's fabulous run aside, Miguel Francis held it together enough to claim 3rd, and, given Mitchell Blake has struggled for form all year, has to be Francis for the ticket to Doha, with maybe NMB in for the relay...

Interesting to note three 'island boys' in that field - Zharnel (Antigua, via Jamaica), Miguel (Montserrat via Antigua) and Delano Williams (Turks and Caicos via Jamaica). It is a genuine pity Delano gave up the 400 relay team, because I don't think he's gonna make it at 200.

MHS at 400 remains an enigma, rapped up in riddle - he has talent to burn...but he's so often pure clueless about his own race.

As noted above, I think the third lucky ticket in the 1500 should go to wightman, but will go to Grice, and that Giles and Langford will, eventually, be able to count themselves lucky.

On the distaff side, the usual Dina brilliance is backed up by a weird mix of superb running from Asha Philip, Josie Williams in the 200 and pure filth running from Imani - 100 should be Dina, Asha, Daryll, with Imani taking the ASha individual spo if she fails to get the time. 200, obviously is set; dina, Jodie , Beth...

**frankie cahill** · 26-08-19, 04:32

Ahem. I may have been the only person daft enough to watch the ludicrous bbc red button 'athletics forum', but Crammy made some interesting comments regarding shenanigans going on behind the scenes in the men's 800m. If true, it really doesn't reflect well on Jamie Webb and his management. Inventing an obstruction to advance an athlete whose sole purpose would be to act as an unofficial pacemaker for Webb is one thing,but to then attempt to disqualify Langford from the final as well is quite another...

**jjimbojames** · 26-08-19, 07:32

I suspect our men’s sprint squad is sorted individually, and the relay squad ends up being the top four, plus NMB and Francis. HAA so far off, he’s pushed himself out but I do feel for Kilty - he’s been on a bit of a redemption for the last couple of years and lost the relay-arrogance he and Ellington used to be famed for, and gets injured doing a lot of dog work that the others said no to. I *think* the IAAF have reduced the size of relay squads in a bid to reduce athlete numbers, so the days of endless spares are gone. You have to worry about the 4x400m/mixed, as there’s no real 200m/800m/hurdlers to come into the mix - Rooney seems confident he is going, and no one is running so well to push him out at this stage.

On the ladies - Asha is running in Berlin, so I suspect she’ll get the time. DAS, Philip, Neita (100)/DAS, Williams, Dobbin (200), with the three individuals and Lansiquot, Nelson and Bianca Williams in the relay. I suspect the 400m relay is the top four here, plus Jodie, Dobbin and Jess Turner, with possibly one more - either Allcock or Liverpool, as a reward for the ETC.

**Happyjogger** · 26-08-19, 08:22

The trials seemed very poorly attended but it did clash with the football season as well as other events. It seems to be getting worse every year but maybe the official figures will provide the true results. Standardd were very underwhelming in many cases. In term of medal or finalists I would look at the following

1; Womens long jump maybe two medals
2. Women;s hepthathlon
3. 100/200 DAS must get two medals should she?
4. A womans middle distance medal depending on fitness
5. WOmen 4 x 100
6. Men PV?
7. Men 4 x 100
8. mens 100 ?? maybe finalist
9. Men 200m?

I cannot see much beyond this if everyting goes well -we will have 2 or 3 who surprises as usual.

Not that strong and apart from Dina - not many dead certs for a medal. The new CEO is taking over a sport in a much wosrst state than the previous took it over- that is for sure. Lets hopoe she can get things back on track

**carterhatch** · 26-08-19, 08:23

I got a little side tracked by something going on in Leeds... but managed to juggle a muted Beeb with radio of Cricket.

Off the top of my head the three very welcome performances on the much better Day 2, as people have noted, were Jodie Williams (and post race was keen to confirm her interest in being part of the 4x400m), Ben Williams (the PB jump looked like there could be more to come) and Adam Gemilli (I honestly did not expect that performance)

The women's long jump was a great advert for why TV must cover field events, and should be an inspiration to all athletes for a variety of reasons, Irozuru was great, only knows what struggles she has had to overcome with a minimum of support I would imagine from UK Athletics, and to PB was really gutsy. i say again about Jazmin Sawyers, she makes the absolute most of her talents, times her peaks and makes good decisions about her career, I suspect she will have a stellar career post-athletics in the media world but for now fully deserves a ticket to Doha, no matter how contrived it might be....I echo RunUnlimited's thoughts on Lorraine Ugen, why-o-why, if her prep this year has been injury free-ish, did she not continue to do 100s which in my view made the difference ...

Three who disappointed my eager predictions over the weekend weere Lansiquot, it seems her and Edoburun are a couple, so that's a weekend of contrasts. Thomas Staines, OK, perhaps I got a little carried away with his potential but he didn't even make the final of the 800, and Lina Nielsen, there may be a reason for her poor showing in the final, but I'd be concerned that hurdling is not the way forward (I am sure on Day 1 results I saw that Lina has been Dqd in the heats so was surprised she started the final, but maybe I making that one up...)

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