Track & Field Round-Up
Woodford athletes were involved in a number of fixtures over the weekend and over the last week, varying from the IAAF Diamond League in Glasgow, to the English Schools Championships at Birmingham where there was a national title for Daniel Rowden.
Daniel Rowden, continued his fine form over 800m this season as he won the English Schools U/17 title with a fine 1m52.86 secs. Canaan Salomon who pushed Daniel close in the Essex Championships over 800m, on this occasion raced at 1500m, but didn't progress past the heats where he recorded 4m06.12 secs. There was a medal in the U/17 girls hammer where Stephanie Howe finished 3rd with a season's best of 53.12m, and in the senior boys long jump, Joseph Dewar was 5th with 6.90m (-1.2).
Glasgow hosted the Diamond League in the Hampden Park Commonwealth Games Stadium, and Tiffany Porter raced over 100mH where she finished 4th with 12.88 secs (+0.2). Earlier in the week at Montreuil-sous-Bois- in France Tiffany had placed 2nd over 100mH with 12.92 secs (-1.5), and in the same meeting Shana Cox was 6th over 400m with 52.91 secs. Reigning Commonwealth Games triple jump champion, Tosin Oke was also in action at Glasgow and he placed 4th with 16.51m (+0.1).Also overseas, Tim Abeyie raced in Germany at Rhede and recorded a season's best 220.97 secs (0.0) to place 3rd over 200m, just a few days after he was just 0.02 secs outside his pb over 100n, clocking 10.27 secs (+1.7) in Regensburg. Racing in Ireland at the Moreton Games, Alex Cornwell recorded a personal best in the 3000m where he placed 10th with 8m01.02 secs, and earlier in the week also in Ireland at the Cork Games, Andy Frost was 6th in the hammer with 67.65m. On Sunday in Italy at a meeting in Vento, Omolulo Abiodun recorded a personal best in his 100m heat of 10.65 secs (+1.2), but was denied another by the wind in the final where he placed 3rd with 10.51 secs w (+2.2). Later, Omolulo raced over 200m where he comfortably won the "B" race with 21.33 secs w (+2.9).
On Saturday at the BMC Stretford Grand Prix there was a personal best for Megan Edwards who placed 3rd in the "B" 800m with 2m06.90 secs, whilst in the men's "B" race, Jordan Donnelly was 7th with 1m55.01 secs, and in the "A" 1500m Jon Cook recorded 3m45.60 secs for 13th. Also in a BMC meeting during the week at Perivale, Jessica Burgess recorded a personal best in the 1500m with 4m53.77 secs.
Several athletes competed at an inter-counties fixture at Mile End on Sunday. Eugene Ayanful placed 4th in the 100m with 11.01 secs (-1.1), Nathan Wake was 2nd over 800m with 1m52.75 secs, HCA man Ryan McKinlay won the 3000m s/ch with 9m35.70 secs, Chris Linque was 2nd in the discus with 46.66m, with Devon Douglas winning the "B" with 44.64m, Harrry Clarke was 2nd in the hammer with 55.70m with brother Peter Clarke winning the "B" with 54.95m.