Athletics: Brits shine at Crystal Palace

August 8, 2011

Despite late withdrawals of world class athletes such as Asafa Powell, the weekend’s action packed London Grand Prix did not disappoint.

With Mo Farah producing another phenomenal performance against champion opposition, the women’s events also provided a spectacle for the fans at Crystal Palace’s National Arena.

Jenny Meadows was the stand-out British athlete as she took victory in the 800m with a season’s best of 1:58:60. The 30-year-old Wigan athlete produced a sensational final 200m and will be looking to reproduce such form at the World Championships in Daegu.

Other Brits in the race included Emma Jackson who broke two minutes for the first time with 1:59:97 and Marilyn Okoro who was marginally quicker. While Okoro narrowly missed UKA’s 800m A standard for Daegu of 1:59.80 at Crystal Palace, she returned the next day to run a solo 1:59.53 at Lee Valley. All three will be heading to South Korea at the end of August.

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Impressive displays in the other distance events came from 2009 World 1500m silver medalist Lisa Dobriskey as she won her first race of an injury hit season as well as Helen Clitheroe who knocked an incredible 24 seconds off her 5,000m lifetime best to also grab a spot in the World Championships squad.

Perri Shakes-Drayton, the newly-crowned British champion over both the 400m and 400m hurdles, put on another fine display over the hurdles, finishing an impressive third with a world-class field and clocking a season’s best time of 54.62.

Over the flat distance Lee McConnell ran a spectacular race to finish fifth in a time of 51.01, only two tenths away from her lifetime best, while reigning Olympic Champion Christine Ohurugu struggled in eighth place.

With no British athletes in the women’s 100m, American Carmelita Jeter produced a blistering run of 10.93 to hold off her Trinidadian rival Kelly-Ann Baptiste and Jamaica’s Olympic champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Price.

But 17-year-old, European Junior 100m and 200m champion, Jodie Williams stepped up to face the big girls over the longer sprint. In her Diamond League debut, the young sprint sensation certainly did not look out of place with a sub-23 seconds clocking.

In the sprint hurdles Britain’s Tiffany Offili-Porter finished third to Australian Sally Pearson who continued her brilliant unbeaten run, and while Britain put two women’s relay teams into the 4×100 event, neither teams finished.

With the World Championships just weeks away British athletics is certainly flourishing, and looks to be on track for some great performances in Daegu and looking ahead to London next year.

Emma Paton, Sportsister
The Women’s Sports Magazine

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