Many folks star at the blustery British masters nationals
Tom Phillips, a masters sprinter across the Pond, sends this great report on the British masters nationals in Birmingham, where results are now online. Tom writes: “A great weekend, aided and abetted by an occasional blustery wind, but the forecast heavy rain for Sunday stayed away. Some great performances across the age groups. That man Dr. Steve Peters again won the 100/200/400 at M50, though he was chased extra hard over 100 by new M50 Peter Hickey. First three all sub 12 secs. First 6 all sub 25 secs in the M50 200m! That hurts me – I was the seventh man home.â€
Tom continues:
A fantastic, though very slightly windy M35 200m from Darren Scott in 21.86. First four home in M40 100m all sub 11.5 too. British Masters sprinting is on the up and up.
Tony Bowman, in cool shades, burned up the M70 hurdles — and also won four other events.Multiple medals for the greats like Tony Bowman, who cleaned up M70 100/200/400 and both hurdles distances. His 80m hurdles time of 13.49 significantly beat his existing European record of 13.67, and the wind was legal, at +1.8.
Five throws golds for 86-year-old Leslie d’Arcy! British records galore in M75.
Londoner Geoff Walcott earned two M55 sprint golds and a silver, with great tussles against Nottingham’s Viv Oliver, each recording world class times, streets ahead of their rivals. And this was with Euro indoor 200m gold man Alastair Ross watching from the stands, nursing an ankle injury.
There were a few notable absentees from some of the women’s competition. Nevertheless, a pair of wins by Kirsten King over Wendy Dunn in W45 100/200, in great times in 12.87 and 26.69. Super to see Manndy Laing back after a long time out with serious injury. Her 12.21 in the W45 80m hurdles was a fine sight, and backed up with a very useful 5.15 win in the W45 long jump.
Jane Laws 17.40.41 was a British record in the W50 5,000 metres and Jane Horder took a pair of British W50 records in the hurdles with 13.00 and 47.39. W50 field event multi talent, Jennifer Ibbotson took gold medals in pole vault (2.90 =CBP), shot, javelin, hammer and weight, plus a silver in the discus. It needed an excellent 35.66 discus CBP from Gwen Bird to deprive Jennifer of the full set!
Five golds for the legendary Mary Wixey in W85 too, including a CBP 8.70 in the discus.
Photographs of much of the action will appear on my website very shortly. Photographic coverage is a bit patchy, as I had heats and finals of my own events to deal with, and Lesley Richardson of the Rikko2 website turned up at Birmingham to find her camera was broken.
Roll on Riccione, say the Brits!
4 Responses
Lest anyone who was there think I’m losing my recall, I was seventh in that 200, not sixth. Despite my best efforts.
Thanks very much, Tom, for your GREAT report.
Now, that I am in the M55, and no more in the ?¢‚Ǩ?ìDr.-Stephen-Peters-and-Tom-Phillips-category?¢‚Ǩ¬ù, I look for my British-M55-adversaries, because in Riccione I will also compete in the 200 m. But also in the ?¢‚Ǩ?ìOliver-Viv-and-Geoff-Wallcott-category?¢‚Ǩ¬ù I will only see British back-numbers (among all others)! Sniff!
But, wait! I think that I am also going to see the famous US-back-number (it is not the number who is famous). Guess who!
Sorry about “sixth man,” Tom. I had changed it from seventh becuz U were 6th in the 100. Got confused (normal for me).
I restored the original wording.
Hi Pino! Yes, with Geoff Walcott, Alastair Ross and Viv Oliver all moving to M55 this year, it’s going to be tough. Wally Franklin also turns 55 before Riccione!
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