Last updated 1 June
2001
Press Releases for
April & May 2001
- If you want to find the latest results try Results!
- If you are after older results and gossip please
go to the Courier pages.
29 May 2001
Two Championship records, three major Championship
qualifying performances, four Club records, and over a dozen personal bests made
it an outstanding weekend for athletes of Blackheath Harriers, Bromley at the
Inter County Championships at Bedford and the South Of England Under 20
Championships at Watford.
At Bedford, Jonathan Barbour's time of 10.24 in the 100
metres was a new Championship record as he beat Olympian Marlon Devonish for the
second week running. It was just inside the qualifying mark for the World
Championships but will not count as the windspeed of +2.5 was just above the
legal limit.
In the 200 he finished in 4th place, the same time as the
third placed athlete, and his time of 20.95 in the heat was actually the fastest
time recorded of the day. Mensah Elliott dipped under 14 seconds for the first
time this season in the 110 hurdles as he finished in third in 13.98; and Levi
Edwards leapt 6.91 in the long jump but failed to progress beyond the qualifying
pool.
Star of the weekend at Watford was Dwayne Grant who was in
sensational form winning both the Under 20 men's 100 and 200 titles. The John
Powell coached athlete broke Mark Richardson's Championship record in the 200
metres as he stormed to victory in 20.9 and he returned the next day to win the
100 metres in 10.50. Both performances were inside the qualifying time for the
European Junior Championships.
There were three new Club records set as athletes from the
Mike Davies and Herbie Kuentslinger coaching stable had a field day in the
throws events. Karim Chester broke the under 17's hammer record for the
third time this year launching the 5kg implement out to 58.55 to win the gold
medal. In the under 20's discus Emily Oliver's 34.06 was good enough to take
bronze; while in the under 15's shot Vicky Thomas bettered her old Club Record
three times with her furthest putt of 10.42 leaving her one place off third.
Southern Indoor Champion Katy Porter returned from injury
to place 2nd in the under 20's 100 metre hurdles and there were also medals for
Fabian Collymore (under 17's 200); Ian Allerton (under 17's 400); and Neil
Simpson (under 20's 400).
Amongst those achieving personal best were Harriet
Robinson and Clare Cooper (U15 75 hurdles); Joanna South (U15 200); Anita Oliver
(U17 discus); Ian Allerton (U17 400) and Dan Ryan and Chris Daniel (U17 800).
A number of athletes from the Club have recently received
awards from Sportsaid on the recommendations of UK Athletics. Katy Porter,
Samantha Singer and Nange Ursell have each received National Awards of £500
while Jake Aust and Fabian Collymore have both received London Awards.
The Club always welcomes new members of all ages and
standards. For further information please contact Dave Liston on 01322 663504.
22 May 2001
Sprinters from Blackheath Harriers, Bromley were out in
force at the Aqua-Pura International Meeting at Loughborough laying the
foundations for a season in which they aim for glory at the major championships.
National under 23 100 and 200 metre champion Jonathan Barbour will have
attracted the attention of the Great Britain management as he bids for a place
at the European Under 23 Championships. His time of 10.36 in finishing 2nd in
the 100 metres was just 8 hundredths shy of his best as he claimed the scalp of
Olympic 200 metre representative Marlon Devonish.
He followed with a win in the Invitation 200 metres in
21.08 which proved faster than clubmate Julian Golding in the main race.
Golding, himself a former European Under 23 title holder at 200 and the
Commonwealth champion clocked 21.17 for 3rd place despite having the tighter
inside lane which will encourage him as he targets a place in the British team
for the World Championships in Edmonton.
Dwayne Grant is looking for selection for the European
Junior Championships and he started his domestic racing with a win in the
Invitation 100 in 10.74. A member of the Great Britain junior 4x100 team who
struck gold at last years World Championships, he teamed up with his colleagues
from Santiago to time 39.55 in the relay as they finished 2nd to the Great
Britain senior team.
Blackheath team captain Mensah Elliott was 5th in the 110
hurdles in 14.29 and a cold ridden Michael Skinner was 9th in the 1500 in
3.47.4.
It was also a busy weekend of League competition with the
Club continuing it's bid for promotion from Division Three of the Southern
Womens League. The team finished 2nd in a tight match at St Albans, just 8
points behind winners Hastings. Many of the Blackheath performances would not
have been out of place in a Division One match showing that the teams only
weakness is a lack of depth and a shortage of athletes in some of the more
technical events.
It was promising, therefore, to see Zoe Morell return to
competition with a 2nd place in the pole vault to add to her other 2nd in the
800.
"A" string victories came from GB junior
international Sam Singer who ran a seasons best of 57.8 in the 400; and from
Jennie Butler, who, although experienced on the road and country, made her track
debut. She celebrated with a runaway victory in the 3000 in 10.27.4, her first
win ever on any terrain.
Louisa Guthrie had two useful 2nd places in the sprints as
did Emily Oliver in the discus and hammer. In fact the Blackheath athletes
rarely finished lower than 3rd in their events with many personal bests being
set. Perhaps the highlight was Harriet Robinson's 4.88 leap to win the long jump
to add to her victory in the 75 metre hurdles.
The clash of fixtures meant a weakened team being fielded
in the McDonalds League match at Ealing the next day, yet the enthusiastic
efforts from experienced and novice athletes alike left team manager Michelle
Bovell confident that the team could build on their 4th place and win the next
match at the start of July. Best performance came from Sandra Alaneme with wins
in the high jump, long jump and shot.
More successful were the Boys who won their match at
Croydon by 56 points. The Club won both Man Of The Match awards. In the field
Karim Chester broke the Club record in the hammer for the 2nd time this year
with 57.26 while Fabian Collymore received the track nomination for his 22.5 in
the 200.
Other under 17s to impress were Guillaume Rulens who set a
new best of 1.80 to win the high jump with Will Edet making it maximum points in
the B string; Joe Sweeney who ran 4.15.6 for 2nd in the 1500; and Colin Smith
who timed a useful 62 seconds on his debut in the 400 hurdles.
Dennis Sawyerr ran a Grade One of 24.2 in the 200 in the
under 15s while the 1500 duo of David Fenlon and James Poole both set personal
bests. There was more success in the metric mile in the under 13s with Danny
Brewer winning in 5.07.9 while in the sprints both Joe Mercer and Alex Sims won
individual events before helping the relay team to victory.
4 May 2001
Blackheath Harriers, Bromley could set some sort of record
in this weekends British Athletics League Division One match at Copthall by
fielding a team with the largest age span in the history of the competition.
Seventeen year olds Joseph Godsell and Jake Aust are set to make their League
debuts while at the other end of the age scale 67 year old grandfather Gordon
Hickey is ready to make a return to National League competition in the shot.
Hickey holds the UK over 65s record for the event and has been pressed back into
service to compete against current Olympic and Commonwealth internationals
because of the injuries and unavailability of a number of the Clubs top
throwers.
The fixture features the leading eight teams in the
country but, with the match being in early May when some athletes are still away
warm weather training; and the clash with the British Universities Championships
in Glasgow; Clubs will be fielding weakened teams.
Blackheath are no exception but still have some useful
athletes in action. Akinola "Lash" Lashore and Michael Champion both
go in the sprints; former World Junior 400 metre finalist Alloy Wilson makes a
welcome return to competition; while AAA's senior indoor long jump bronze
medallist Mark Awanah will be in action in the field. He teams up with fast
improving Levi Edwards. One of the Clubs best events seems likely to be in the
110 hurdles where Mensah Ellliott, ranked 4th in the country last year, will be
looking to build on some promising early form abroad.
The Blackheath team captain has recently returned from
America where he ran 14.33 for the hurdles in a meeting at Long Beach. This was
into a -3.1 headwind and would suggest that it won't be long before he goes
under 14 seconds this season.
Still out in the States are Julian Golding and Jonathan
Barbour both of whom have clocked useful times over 200 at Fullerton.
Commonwealth Champion Golding timed 21.04 to show that he is over the virus that
affected him in Olympic year, while AAA's under 23 champion Barbour recorded
21.47.
While the track season is about to kick off in earnest the
outstanding Kent Womens and Young Athletes Cross Country League results have
been confirmed. The last of the four races was cancelled because of the foot and
mouth crisis and after some discussion it has been decided that the Final
Results should be as at the end of three matches.
This leaves the Club with two individual champions and two
team victories. Jennie Butler was Senior Womens champion while Dan Ayrton took
the Junior Mens title having been unbeaten in all three fixtures. In fact the
Junior men completed a clean sweep in Ayrton's age group with Will Bolton second
and Matt Lucht third and won the team award.
The Clubs other team win came in the under 13 age group
where Tom Beech was third individual. The Clubs youngsters will also be in
action this weekend with the first round of the McDonalds Young Athletes League
at Tonbridge on Sunday, while the Club will be hosting the Ted Pepper 10km on
Bank Holiday Monday starting at 11.00 from Langley Park School For Boys.
1 May 2001
On a hectic weekend, Blackheath Harriers, Bromley
successfully negotiated the conflicts of the overlap of the winter and summer
seasons to produce an impressive set of five team results from four different
venues.
Pride of place went to the womens section who competed in
the National 6 Stage road relay at Sutton Coldfield for the first time in the
Clubs history while at the same time launching their summer campaign in Southern
Womens League Division Three with a two point victory in their match at
Abingdon.
In the relay at Sutton Park the team finished in 26th
position and were the 7th Southern club a one place improvement on the Area
Championships at Milton Keynes earlier in the month, despite fielding a weaker
team. Kent Womens League cross country champion Jennie Butler brought the team
home in 16th on the traditionally strongest opening leg and Karyn O' Mahoney
kept her composure on leg two despite being overtaken by former World Cross
Country Champion Sonia O Sullivan. Teenagers Hazel Barker and Gemma Viney
maintained the Club's presence in the top half of the field with veterans Anne
Cilia and Cath Messent, last minute call ups to the squad, guiding the team
home.
The result from Abingdon showed the track and field team's
promotion ambitions look well founded. Twenty-eight individual wins, fifteen
personal bests and two new Club Records were the reward for an outstanding
effort by a weakened squad.
Among many highlights, the most notable was Sandra
Alaneme's debut in the triple jump. She had never competed in the event before
but, after a quick practice session, won the event with a leap of 10.61 breaking
the Club record and achieving an English Schools qualifying standard.
She also won the high jump and shot and there was also a
hat trick of wins for Katy Benneworth in the 100 metres, 80 hurdles and long
jump; and from Clare Cooper in the under 15s long jump, 75 hurdles and 100
metres.
The other Club Record came from Victoria Thomas in the
under 15s shot where
she won with a putt of 10 metres to add to her win in the discus. Other good
throws performances came from the Oliver sisters Emily and Anita while on the
track Internationals Katy Porter and Samantha Singer both had double victories
in the senior hurdles and sprints as did Joanna South in the under 15s age
group.
Back at Sutton Park the mens' team were also in action in
the 12 stage event finishing in 29th. Highlight was the appearance of Mark
Steinle just one week after finishing as first Briton in the London Marathon. He
timed a useful 26.41 but was upstaged by Dave Taylor who ran an outstanding
26.14 in difficult windy conditions. Other good runs came from under 23
Internationals Michael Skinner and David Moulton who timed 14.40 and 15.42 on
short stages. Skinner's was the 9th fastest of the day. The Club only had 11
runners at the Southern Championship but thanks to the efforts of athletes such
as Bill Foster turning out when not fit, the team were the 8th placed from the
clubs from the South Of England.
Elsewhere it was business as usual in the Kent Boys And
Colt League. The Club has won the League for the last 18 years and started 2001
with another victory. Dennis Sawyerr impressed with a double win in the under
15s sprints and Brendan Earley opened his season with a useful 56.5 victory in
the 400 metres.
The unders 20s were also in action the the National Junior
League where the best performances came in the sprints. Fabian Collymore,
competing against athletes up to three years older than him took 4th and 2nd in
the 100 and 200 with George Isodo and Jack Wilkie taking 1st and 2nd in the B
events. Isodo and Wilkie then teamed up with Dwayne Bovell and Mark Awanah for a
rousing win in the 4x100. There was also a good 2nd place in the 4x400 for
Awanah, Jake Aust, Neil Simpson and Ian Allerton.
24 April 2001
Mark Steinle bounced back from the disappointment of his
Olympic debut in Sydney last October when he finished 6th in the London Flora
Marathon. In Australia, a stomach upset reduced him to a crawl in the second
half of the race, but on Sunday he excelled himself in probably the highest
quality big city marathon in the world.
Five of the starters had bests of inside 2 hours 7 minutes
and the field included three times winner Antonio Pinto; eventual winner
Abdelkader El Mouaziz; and Paul Tergat, the fastest ever over the half marathon
distance and five time winner of the World Cross Country Championships.
Undaunted by the quality around him, the 26 year old
athlete from Blackheath Harriers, Bromley stayed with the leaders as long as he
could and when the field split just before halfway, maintained his strength and
concentration to finish in a new best of 2.10.46.
His reward was automatic selection for the Great Britain
team for the World Championships in Edmonton, Canada in August; a new Blackheath
Club Record; and the satisfaction of claiming the scalp of Abel Anton, twice
world champion for the distance.
Steinle one day aims to win the London race. The last
Briton to do so was Eamonn Martin in 1993 in a time four seconds slower than
Steinle in 2001. That year Mark finished 63rd in the World Junior Cross Country
Championships, while Tergat, who finished 2nd on Sunday, was 10th in the senior
race.
Ultimately the dedicated training and support of
those around him which has been the foundation for his progress in the last
eight years could see him achieve his goal.
Nick Kinsey was one of the highest placed veterans in the
field as he finished 91st in 2.36.03 while the first female home for the Club
was Natalie Brightwell in 3.57.20. Club President Mike Peel continued his
unbroken run of London Marathon finishes. He has completed every one of the 21
races, one of only 38 people to do so. Those inspired by Sundays race may enjoy
the Club's Open 10km road race on Bank Holiday Monday the 7th of May. The race
starts at Langley Park School for boys. For an entry form contact Richard Coles
on 01329 220817. Steinle is a former winner of this race.
This weekend the Club will be in action at the National
Road Relay Championships in Sutton Coldfield. Blackheath will be fielding a team
in the womens 6 stage race for the first time and hoping to build on the
excellent 8th place that they achieved in the Southern Championships at the
start of the month. Only Siobhan Budd will be missing from the Southern team as
she cannot get back from Barcelona. Her place goes to Kate Bugler who joins
Jennie Butler, Karyn O Mahoney, Gemma Viney, Cath Castledine, and Hazel Barker
in the team.
The Club will also be fielding a mens team in the 12 stage
event despite failing to finish in the Southern Championships. They have been
awarded a discretionary place and aim to justify the faith placed in them.
Subject to recovering from Sundays race Mark Steinle will be in action and the
squad is also boosted by the return of former Southern Cross Country champion
Dave Taylor and new Great Britain indoor international Michael Skinner.
The Club are holding a coaching day at Norman Park on
Tuesday 29th of May for youngsters in year 6 and above. The day aims to
introduce youngsters to the various track and field disciplines in a fun
environment. For further details please send a SAE to Dave Liston at 70 Sermon
Drive, Swanley, Kent. BR8 7HT.
17 April 2001
Blackheath Harriers, Bromley started the summer track and
field campaign with a win in the Kent Womens League Division Two match at Norman
Park. A mixture of rain, hail and wind and a clash with the Easter Bank Holiday
left a somewhat depleted team sheet but the efforts of those that did compete
gave the Club victory by nearly 100 points.
For the Seniors Kate Bugler and Karyn O Mahoney translated
their good winter form on the roads and cross country into wins in the 800 and
100; and Angela Zihute, Caroline Stephenson and Napthali Morris enjoyed their
first competitions for nearly 7 months.
Katy Benneworth showed the benefits of some consistent
winter training with a winning leap of 5.16 in the under 17s long jump and
followed with a 12.7 win in the 80 metre hurdles, a time which was faster than
all the athletes in the Division One match. Harriet Robinson did the same in the
under 15s age group winning the long jump in 4.37 and taking the 75 metre
hurdles in 12.6 seconds; while training partner Clare Cooper was also in winning
form in the javelin to add to her 2nd place in the 100 metres.
The most encouraging aspect of the afternoon was the
performance of some of the athletes new to the team. Venita Akpofure caught the
eye with a win in the under 15s 200 metres and she also set a new best of 13.3
in the 100 non scoring. Emma Mason made a big impression on her debut in the
under 13s age group. Her throw of 14.43 in the javelin was particularly
noteworthy adding to her promising 12.02 in the discus. Serita Solomon set new
bests of 1.20 and 10.8 in the high jump and 75 metres, while Sophie Robinson
clocked a useful 23.0 for 2nd place in the 150 metres.
The afternoon finished on a high with wins for both the
under 13s and under 15s 4x100 metre relay teams, both in times quicker than the
Division One match.
Numerous Club Records were set last summer but few would
expect any to go as early as April. No on had told Karim Chester as, after a
winter of hard training under Mike Davies, he added nearly two and a half metres
to the Under 17s hammer record at the Tonbridge Open Meeting. His throw of 56.40
is possibly the furthest in his age group in the country so far this year.
Martin Airey ran a useful 1.23.9 in the Senior 600 metres
and there were new bests in the under 17s age group for Tom Robinson (3.30 in
the pole vault) and Andrew Johnson (15.1 in the 100 hurdles).
Stephen Leach had a promising debut over 3000 timing
11.45.5 and Alex Al-Ameen set new best of 16.97 and 1.30 in the under 13s discus
and high jump. His brother Richard enjoyed his debut in the discus and shot
competitions throwing 11.32 and 5.74.
On the roads Tony Brightwell finished 2nd overall and
first over 50 with a time of 22.23 in the Avery Hill 3.65 race. Further down the
field Bill Clapham showed he is set to make a big impression in the over 70s age
group finishing 18th in 27.54.
This weekend Club members of all ages will be in action in
the Adidas London Marathon and Mini Marathon. In the main event Mark Steinle
makes his bid for automatic selection for the Great Britain team for the World
Championships in Edmonton, Canada; while further down the field a host of
runners will be looking for personal bests and looking to raise funds for the
Clubs nominated charity, the MacMillan Cancer Relief Fund.
10 April 2001
The women's section of Blackheath Harriers, Bromley made a
small piece of Club History when they competed in the South Of England 6 Stage
Road Relay for the first time, and were rewarded for their efforts on the
traffic free course at Milton Keynes with an 8th place and automatic
qualification for the National Final in three weeks time.
Thirty five teams entered the event and with many Clubs
putting their best runners on the first leg, Birmingham University student Cath
Castledine ran a sensibly paced race to close in 23rd position. She handed to
Jennie Butler who showed no adverse effect to a recent leg injury, carving her
way through the field to move the team up to 12th with her time of 20.11 being
the 3rd fastest of the stage and the 21st fastest overall time of the day.
The investment in a plane ticket to fly back a sun tanned
Siobhan Budd from her studies at University in Barcelona paid dividends as she
moved the team up to a heady 5th position. Despite running well, Karyn O Mahoney
slipped to 8th on leg four against some strong opposition and steady
performances from Gemma Viney and Hazel Barker on stages 5 and 6 achieved the
target of a top 10 position, a result which promises much for the future with
three members of the team still in the under 20 age group.
In contrast, there was disappointment in the men's 12
Stage event where the Club, who won the event just two years ago, failed to
finish a team. A plethora of injuries and prior engagements meant only 11
athletes were available and the team had to pull out after the penultimate leg
while in contention for a National qualifying position.
There were, nevertheless, some encouraging performances
from a group spanning an age range of over 30 years. Four enthusiastic juniors
benefitted from the Senior competition with Dan Ayrton and Peter Tucker running
strong long legs and William Bolton and Andrew Rayner on short stages.
Symptomatic of the shortage of athletes was the appearance of 50 year old war
horse Ken Daniel in his first run in the event for 12 years, but his time of
19.06 was quicker than many younger runners. Elsewhere there were solid runs
from Pat Calnan, Giles Clifford, John Morland and Richard Parrott on long
stages.
Another promising aspect of the afternoon was to see the
number of athletes who have joined the Club as youngsters developing to compete
at Senior level. This looks set to continue with 40 new members elected at the
most recent Committee meeting and the Club agreeing a three year sponsorship
deal to support Primary School athletics in the Borough. In liasion with the
Bromley Primary Schools Athletics Association and the Bromley Primary Schools
Cross Country Association, the Club will support 6 track and field events and 2
cross country events each year.
A number of the Clubs youngsters were in action at the
Hercules Wimbledon Open Meeting at Crystal Palace registering some promising
performances prior to the start of summer League season. Under 17 thrower Karim
Chester set new bests in both the discus and shot with throws of 39.47 and 11.98
gaining 2nd places in both events. There were two medals also for Anita Oliver
in the same age group as she threw a useful 25.50 for silver in the discus to
add
to her bronze in the shot.
Other medal winning performances came from Dwayne Bovell,
2nd in the under 17s 100 metres in 11.4, and from Venita Akpofure, 3rd in the
under 15 girls 200 metres.
The Club welcomes new members of all ages and standards.
For further details
please contact Head Of Development, Dave Liston on 01322 663504.
3 April 2001
Blackheath Harriers, Bromley recovered from a disaster on
the opening leg to finish an excellent 5th in the Wellington International
Relays in Ostend. Run on the same course that hosted the previous weekends World
Cross Country Championships, the race consists of 12 legs of distances varying
between 200 and 1200 metres which often leads to a melee on the opening stage.
As the runners set off on the opening 800 leg Steve Cooper
had the baton knocked out of his hand and had to turn back to pick it up off the
start line. He managed to claw back one place by the changeover. From there the
fortunes of the team improved with best individual run coming from Michael
Skinner who moved up a dozen places on one of the 1200 metre legs. Equally
encouraging were the performances of three of the younger members of the team.
Joseph Godsell (800), Jake Aust (400) and Ian Allerton (400) helped edge the
team up to 5th place as the Club finished just 15 seconds behind the winning
team.
Closer to home the Clubs youngsters won the overall trophy
in the Parkwood League at Canterbury. This is a cross country league but,
because of the waterlogged conditions and the Foot And Mouth epidemic, the final
event of the season, the relays, were run around the perimeter roads at Kent
University.
Best individual run of the day came from Daniel Ayrton who
was the fastest under 20 of the day timing 3.55. He was part of an A team of Tom
Beech, Michael Leal and Ray Perkins who finished 5th. 7th and 9th places from
the B and C teams showed good quality in depth and there was an excellent run
from Tom Corbett who recorded a time of 4.32. William Bolton was 3rd fastest
under 20 with a 4.03 clocking with Matt Lucht just behind in 4.06.
There were more good results from the girls with Aimee
Boyle and Kate Bugler running the third fastest times in the under 13 and under
20 age groups. Their efforts, along with those of Caroline McQuillan and
Hannah Williams, helped the team to third place. Promising debuts from Jennifer
Caffrey and Natalie Wiggins and strong runs from Bryony Proctor and Rachel
Stokes meant the B team finished less than a minute behind.
All these efforts meant that the Club retained the overall
boys and girls League title for another year with Invicta East Kent in second.
The boys won their title and the girls finished third. To add to the
celebrations there were more notable runs from the team members of the future as
Richard Bolton and Claire McNamara finished 4th and 3rd in the under 11s races.
The afternoon finished with the celebrities race with boys team manager Julia
Leach just pipping new president Mike Peel on the line.
The Club travels to Milton Keynes this weekend for the
Southern Road Relay Championships. Mark Steinle has his last race before the
London Marathon in the mens 12 stage event and although a number of athletes
will be missing the presence of a number of the Clubs junior squad should ensure
qualification for the National final at the end of the month.
A small piece of Blackheath history will be made in the
womens 6 stage event as the Club has entered a team for the first time. Siobhan
Budd flies back from her studies in Barcelona especially for the event to join a
promising squad made up of Inter Counties team gold medallist Jennie Butler,
Karyn O'Mahoney, Gemma Viney, Cath Castledine and Hazel Barker .
The Club welcomes new members of all ages and standards.
For further details
please contact Head Of Development Dave Liston on 01322 663504.
