Chisom Nwafor (Chiltern Harriers) produced the stand-out performances of the weekend at a superb London Indoor Games for the squad at Lee Valley on Saturday 25th and Sunday 26th January.
For a change competing only in the field events, Chisom produced two quite incredible Personal Bests (PBs) in both the Shot and the Long Jump. In the former, she opened with a very good 11,75m to put her into an early lead in the competition. But her best was still to come. She broke her previous best on three occasions eventually launching the 3kg weight out to 12.58m, the best performance from a U15 UK athlete this year.
This also places her 23rd on the UK All Time Lists for outdoors and indoors.
Later, she thrashed her Long Jump best and went to No 2 in the UK Listing for that event. Two modest opening jumps up to 4.60m were wiped out by a 21cm improvement on her PB to 5.22m to win her seond event of the day.
This places her well for both these events which she will next compete in the National Indoors at Sheffield at the end of February.
Two other squad athletes additional clinched National Indoor qualifications at Lee Valley. Monty Gurney made his indoor debut over 300m and smashed his best by two seconds to beat the 40 second standard for that event, His time of 39.59 secs currently ranks hin UK no 11 for his age group. Later he reduced his 200m best ny a full second down to 25.65 secs.
Also producing a cracking new best was Isla Brown in the 60m Hurdles. Going into the day she was .23 secs outside of the required time of 10.0 secs. True to her training form she thrashed this time for a new best of 9.79 secs and a berth in the National Champs.
Noah Fletcher made his indoor 800m debit in great style also. A very different event to competing outdoors Noah ran a smart race and came so close not only to beating his outdoor PB with a time of 2 mins 07.15 secs but also very close at his first attempt toa National qualification.
PBs were very much the order of the day for the squad at the London Indoor Games.
The hurdlers were all in consistent form producing Seasons Bests all round and in many cases hitting their existing PBs exactly.
Alexander Eldridge knocked almosrt a full second off his hurdle time in the two rounds of the U13 event finisging with a time of 11.15 secs which places him just outside of the UK Top ten.
Abby Masquelier ran 9.29 secs in the first round and then clocked 9,23 secs to equal her best in the second. Likewaise Alexia Martin ran 9,73 in the first round while Sister Sophia ran 9,96 secs. Ellie Lothian set a PB for this distance of 11.73 secs while Jess Cook set a PB of 11.35 secs. almost .4 better than her previous best.
Noah Hobson only just missed his best for the hurdles by fout hundretghs of a second running 10.27 secs.
There was virtually a clean sweep of PBs over 60m. U17 Elliot Marston (7.91), Arabella Mensah (8.66); U15 Day Akinjpbi (8.56) Sophia Habgood (8.80), Jo Snelling ( 9.48), Maisie Masquelier ( 9.59), Anjoli Shanker ((,60) and U13s Tayte Fahey (9.84) and Henry Wendt (9,31) all set new bests.
And the pattern was repeated over the 200m. Along with Monty, everyone of the one lap runners set new best : Day Akinjobi (30.36), Henry Wendt ( 31.39) Tayte Fahey ( 33.26) and Liam Cooke ( 34.01),
Laurie Sutcliffe came storming through over the last 100m of his 400m closing down a strong field in very impressive fashion in the chase to the finish line. His time of 53.06 sets him up nicely for the National Indoors having previously recorded a National Indorr qualifying standard for the event.
More to follow on 300m, 800m and jumps.