Track & Field Round-Up

Weekend Track and Field news involving WGwEL athletes, includes news from the Aviva London Samsung Diamond League at Crystal Palace, where Tosin Oke, Tiffany Porter, Shana Cox and Tara Bird were in action, from the Southern U/15 and U/17 Championships where there were silver medals from Daniel Rowden and Canaan Soloman, and from the Southern Athletics League where some fine sprinting was led by Sam Watts.

At the televised Crystal Palace Diamond League where athletes had to negotiate torrential downpours on Saturday there were mixed results for Woodford athletes. Commonwealth Games triple jump champion, Tosin Oke was the best placed of the Woodford athletes, finishing 3rd in the triple jump with his one valid jump of the competition 16.93m (+0.5). In the 400m Shana Cox was 7th with 52.38 secs, and in the " OCWK" 800m, Tara Bird seeking to resurrect something from a season affected by a serious ankle injury was satisfied with her 2m04.50 secs for 4th. Tiffany Porter however, trailed in last in her heat of the 100mH, as seemingly affected by a problem (later reported to have been a back injury), she had to ease back in the second half of the race, and was timed in 14.19 secs (+1.1).

A few of Woodford's younger athletes were in action at the South of England U/15 and U/17 Championships at Watford. Daniel Rowden picked up a silver medal in the U/15 Boys 800m where he recorded 2m01.01 secs, as did Canaan Soloman in the U/15 1500m with 4m20.04 secs. in the U/17 Javelin, James Bongart placed 6th with 50.97m and David Peddle 12th with 36.49m. in the U/17 women's 1500m Jessica Burgess recorded 5m02.66 secs.

Competing at the SAL fixture at Lee Valley, Sam Watts enjoyed a comfortable sprint double with times of 10.72 secs (w ?) and 21.20 secs (w ?), with Omolulo Abiodun taking the "B" 200m in 22.14 secs. Nusrat Ceesay moved down distances and placed 2nd in the 100m with 12.24 secs (w?) and won the 200m with a personal best of 24.50 secs (w?), Katie Skelding recorded 12.25 secs (w?) and 24.87 secs (w?), and in the 400m there was a personal best for junior Matt McLaughlin as he won with 49.51secs. Amongst several good field performances there was a personal best in the triple jump for Prince Ezenwa with 15.23m with Peter Kirabo recording 14.28m, and Ayamba Akim winning the high jump with 1.64m Zoe Watson was busy winning the "B" 400m with 63.90 secs, as Claire Leckie was 3rd in the "A" with 63.80 secs, and later placing 3rd in the 1500m with 5m47.32 secs, and winning the "B" 3000m with 12m56.60 secs. Also doing three events was Maxine Dvaies, 3rd in the "A" 800m with 2m49.91 secs, and 2nd in both of the "B" 1500m with 5m58.21 secs and the "A" 3000m with 12m27.06 secs. Also doubling up were Dan Yaxley who won the "B" 400m with 54.02 secs, and placed 2nd in the 800m with 2m01.75 secs, Harold Wyber who won the "B" 3000m with 9m26.49 secs, and then placed 2nd in the "A" 3000m s/ch with 10m41.22 secs, and Ed Messer who was 2nd in the "B" s/ch with 12m51.0 secs, having earlier placed 2nd in the 400mH with 67.48 secs. Other SAL results will be added when available.

In Belgium at the Flanders Cup meeting at Kortijk, Oli Heels was 4th over 800m with 1m50.70 secs, and in Donnas, Italy, Azaria Francis recorded 12.06 secs (+1.8) and 12.18 secs ().0) over 100m