European Indoor qualifying performances were few and far between on day two of the Aviva Indoor UK Trials and Championships at the EIS in Sheffield. Kelly Sotherton impressed when taking her first UK 400m title – and seventh UK indoor title in total – in a UK leading time of 53.56.
Progressing as second quickest from yesterday’s semi finals behind Jenny Meadows , Olympic heptathlon bronze medallist Sotherton, in her first competitive outing over 400m since 2008, took the lead at the break and worked hard to hold on for the win.
“I’m a bit emotional because I had two and a half years out, and after the round yesterday I wasn’t sure what would happen,” she admitted. “I’m still learning my trade. I knew Jenny was very strong in the last 200m, so I had to go out and be strong in the first 300m.
“I keep knocking seconds off my time, so if I keep going on like that, who knows what can happen,” she continued. “I’m very satisfied with how I ran, who I beat and my first national title. Not a bad one for me.”
She was followed home by fast finishing Kelly Massey in second and Laura Wake in third. Meadows finished in seventh.
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There was also a first UK senior national indoor title for World Junior Championships bronze medallist Holly Bleasdale in the women’s pole vault.
Already the revelation of the winter in British athletics having increased her lifetime best from 4.35m outdoors in 2010 to 4.50m indoors this year, it was yet another deserved accolade for the 19-year-old.
“I’ve never won this title before or come close to it so it feels really great to win it this time,” said the Aviva UK Championships outdoor silver medallist who hopes to continue her winning form in Poland on Wednesday. “I’ve been getting PBs quite a lot so it’s disappointing not to get a PB, but 4.36 is still a good height so I’m happy with that.”
It was a similar story in the women’s 1500m, with Stacey Smith, English national outdoor champion over 800m, winning in an indoor PB of 4:22.96 – 11 seconds off the European Indoors standard.
Joice Maduaka won the women’s 200m - not a European Indoor Championships event - in a season’s best time of 23.63, and in doing so took her UK indoor gold medal haul to an impressive nine.
Gemma Bennett won the 60mH in 8.22, some way off the 8.10 mark for the European Indoors, and while the concluding track events of the day.
World and European heptathlon Champion Jessica Ennis, who currently tops the UK rankings, withdrew from day two of the event as a precaution after having an “annoying niggle” on the side of her left foot for the past week. “A scan revealed there is no damage and it is a bit of inflammation,” explained Ennis, who has decided to prioritise being fully fit for the Aviva Grand Prix on 19 February and the European Indoor Championships in Paris. “My coach and I decided that rest today would be best as it is still stiff and focus on the bigger picture.”
Kim Mogg, Sportsister
The Women’s Sports Magazine
