Fans were treated to seven meeting records as well as one UK best performance across two days of England Athletics Under 20, 17 and 15 Indoor Championships action at the NIA in Birmingham this weekend.
Two of those championship best performances came from Blackheath & Bromley AC’s Dina Asher-Smith (pictured above at the Olympic Stadium last year). Great things were expected from the 17-year-old, who did the double with her victory in both the under 20 60m and 200m, but the sprinter admitted she had surprised even herself with the fast times she’d posted.
Speaking after securing success in the 200m on Sunday, Asher-Smith, who crossed the line in 23.44 to smash the record set eight years ago and jump to second on the UK indoor under 20 all-time list, said: “I did not even consider that I could run 23.44.”
Her 7.34 meeting record secured in the 60m heats on Saturday was followed up by 7.36 in the final and she added: “I am absolutely over the moon. This weekend has been amazing.”
It was a successful weekend all round for the training group of Asher-Smith’s coach, John Blackie. Shannon Hylton set a meeting record in the under 17 60m, crossing the line in 7.50, also winning the 200m in 24.08, while twin sister Cheriece won the 300m, her 38.69 the third fastest time ever indoors. There was also silver for Rachel Dickens in the under 20 400m.
Windsor Slough & Eton’s Morgan Lake continued to impress on day two, completing her ‘double double’. The national under 17 heptathlete champion added victory in the under 17 high jump to the long jump title she picked up on Saturday, meaning she now holds both titles both indoors and outdoors.
Yasmin Miller broke Serita Solomon’s six-year-old under 20 60m hurdles meeting record with victory in the final on Sunday. The Derby AC athlete took gold in 8.26, just 0.04 off the UK Best record set in 1986.
Further meeting records came for Loren Bleaken in the under 20 800m, the Team Bath AC runner posting 02:06.78, Bristol & West AC’s Lucy Bryan who jumped 4.15m in the under 20 pole vault to demolish Katie Byres’ record of 4.01m set in 2010, and Sophie McKinna, the Great Yarmouth & District AC athlete recording 15.90m in the under 20 shot.
Jessica Whittington, Sportsiser
The Women’s Sports Magazine
