PHOEBE Gill has already hit the headlines this season and now she has written herself into the British Milers Club history books with her win in the opening Grand Prix at Sportcity.
The 17-year-old not only won her first GP A race but she also broke Alexandra Bell’s BMC women’s only 800m record of 1:59.28, set last year at Birmingham University, with her time of 1min 58.08secs.
Furthermore, Phoebe’s time was also a BMC All-Comers record, eclipsing the mark of 1:58.92 that Australian Abbey Caldwell ran when winning at Sportcity a year ago. Only Laura Muir has run quicker with her 1:57.23 but in a mixed race at Trafford in 2022.
Phoebe’s time was only a whisker outside her PB of 1:57.86, which stunned the athletics world when she won the Irish Milers Club meeting in Belfast just a few weeks ago.
“It was nice to get another sub-two minutes under my belt and that is so cool to learn I broke the BMC record, I didn’t realise that at the time,” said Gill.
“I remember running this race last year when the top two women broke two minutes (Caldwell and Ireland’s Ciara Mageean) but some others fell and I ended up having to jump over them like in a steeplechase!
“I was disappointed with that (she finished sixth in 2:06.37).”
Fast forward a year and it is amazing to record that Saturday’s race also produced a further series of notable achievements.
Mageean, who was closing fast, was rewarded with a new Irish record of 1:58.51 which is a great encouragement to her having only just touched down from a period of altitude training in Europe.
Erin Wallace also ran a PB of 1:59.20 which meant the top three all ran inside the qualifying standard for the Olympic Games in Paris this summer.
Furthermore, Matthew Fraser-Moat, who is the BMC treasurer and has been involved in the club since 1990, confirmed that Saturday was the first time three women have broken two minutes in the same race.
“It took the BMC 55 years to get our first sub 2 minutes 800m in 2017 then a further five years until 2022 to get two women sub 2 in the same race,” said Matthew.
“Now in 2024 we have three women sub-2 minutes for the first time in the same race.”
No little thanks should go to the pacemaker Seren Bundy-Davies, who had been highlighted by Steve Green in our preview, for the excellent job she did even if the split of 54.9secs was a little faster than requested.
“I had intended to go through 57/58seconds pace but I think we both made a mess of the pace and got confused,” added Phoebe.
“I was a bit stressed at the bell when I saw the split and I knew that the last 150m would be painful. But I had something similar at the English Schools’ last year when I blasted through the first lap and ended up almost walking across the line!
“It was not my favourite way to run an 800m race and I really felt it afterwards. It was very tough but I’m learning all the time.”
Beating Mageean gave Gill great satisfaction as she is one of her inspirations as an athlete and there will be plenty of others she has looked up to domestically whom she will be taking on over the coming months, whether on the BMC Grand Prix circuit or the British Championships where the contest for tickets to Paris will be settled.
“It is weird to even think about the Olympics,” admitted Phoebe.
“I’m just so happy to be running qualifying times but I know there is much more to it than that. Britian has such high-calibre runners in the 800m and for me it is just amazing to think about it.
“Obviously my coach (Deborah Steer) and I have had to completely re-look at our training and race programme after Belfast as I was not expecting this at all. It has been a nice surprise though!”
Last but not least it is worth stressing that Phoebe has taken full advantage of the BMC pathway to reach where she is now, first competing as an under 15 in the 800m E race (2nd 2:13.92) at the Wormwood Scrubs regional meeting in 2021 before going on to win the PB Classic 800m (2:10.17) at Milton Keynes in May of that year.
“I think in the BMC we have been aware of Phoebe’s talent in the last few years so it is very gratifying to see someone like that come through, it’s fantastic,” said Tim Brennan, the BMC’s CEO and Grand Prix director.
In the women’s B race there was a super win for teenager Bethany Trow, clocking a PB of 2:06.30 to go third in the UK U17 Rankings which was just a fraction outside the qualifying standard of 2:06.00 for the European U18 Championships.
Another teenager, Georgina Langdon, won the D race in a PB of 2:10.20 to carve over three seconds off her best and move to sixth in the UK Rankings.
In the men’s race Reece Sharman-Newell had hoped to dip inside the qualifying standard of 1:45.20 for the Europeans – selection deadline is Monday – having recently run a season’s best of 1:45.50 in Los Angeles.
“Unfortunately a few people didn’t turn up so I knew it would be a solo run from the get-go,” said Reece.
“It wasn’t the result I was after at all but I only just got back from the USA (he is a student at CSP University) so a solo 1:46 wasn’t the worst.
“But I know I’ve got a lot more time to come off that 1:45.”
Elliot Savage didn’t feel at his best after only just returning from altitude but battled well to win the B race while 16-year-old Tom Waterworth dipped inside 1min 50secs for the first time with a PB of 1:48.95 to win the C race, well inside the qualifying mark of 1:51.00 for the European U18s Championships.
“I am really hoping with the sub 1.49 PB I ran at SportCity yesterday, that I will be selected for the U18 Europeans for the 800m in July in Slovakia,” said Tom.
“It’s a very exciting year for me and my amazing coach Derek Darnell. Also thank you (BMC) for putting on a great event and I hope to perform even better at future BMCs that I race at.”
There were also PBs for winners’ Caleb Mcleod, Rhys Crawford and Max Lowrey, in the D, F and H races respectively.
After switching to Sale Harriers Manchester and joining the coaching group of BMC President and meeting organiser Norman Poole Max Wharton claimed his first Grand Prix victory since winning this same race three years ago, when he recorded his PB of 3:39.68.
“Max is adjusting to life in Manchester and now as a student on a physiotherapy course being on his feet all day,” said Norman.
“He finished like a train and it was nice for him to win a Grand Prix A race again. He can look forward to running faster at other BMC races.”
With Daniel Brooking leading the way the top five in the B race notched up PBs as did the top four in the C race with Brhane Gebrebrhan taking the honours.
It was very encouraging to see that the winners of the remaining seven races – Dexta Thompson, Jamie Phillips, Kristers Kudiis of Latvia, Reiss Marshall, James Tucker, Adam Brown and Euan Pinder – all ran lifetime bests.
“It was a little breezy for the 800m race but by the time the 1500ms were on the conditions were perfect,” said Norman.
While Wharton ran away from the men’s field there was a great finish to the women’s A race with Bethan Morley just edging out her friend Izzy Fry by 0.05secs to win in 4:11.84 and smash her previous best of 4:14.08.
“It was my first 1500m of the season so I wasn’t really sure what would happen,” said Bethan.
“With 400m to go I felt really strong and started picking people off and then in the last 100m gave everything to the line.”
“I’ve got a few more 1500m to come and hopefully dip under 4mins 10secs.”
In fifth junior Innes Fitzgerald ran a season’s best of 4:15.51 – narrowly outside her 2023 PB of 4:15.04 – and just missing the qualifying standard of 4:15.0 for the World Juniors.
Just behind her 16-year-old Lyla Belshaw, who has already run 4:12.19 in a mixed race at Watford earlier this month, was sixth in 4:16.07. That puts Lyla, who is currently top of the UK U17 Rankings, well inside the qualifying mark of 4:22.0 for the European U18s.
Maddie Deadman, Libby Hale, Hannah Kinane all recorded PBs to win the B, C and D races respectively.
Rio Olympic steeplechase finalist Hillary Bor had stated his ambition to run 13mins 10secs in the 5000m and while that may have been ambitious the international from the USA showed his class with a sparkling effort of 13:29.79 in a solo run that left him almost 20 seconds clear of Matthew Ramsden.
“Today I just wanted a hard work-out having run a Diamond League last week and have another one in Stockholm next week, I’m happy with that,” said Hillary, who has the Paris Olympics in his sights, having already run 8:13.30 over the barriers in Marrakech this summer.
“It is the first time I have run with the wave lights and I found them very helpful.”
For Ramsden his 13:48.12 represents a massive PB, smashing his 2022 best of 14:18.97 – recorded coincidentally when winning the B race at this same event.
“I was hoping to go sub 14 minutes having missed out on a lot of races through injury last year,” said Matt.
“Before the race someone told me, just race with no fear and that’s what I did. But I think that time definitely came as a bit of a surprise!”
It was good to see the top nine dip inside 14 minutes with seven of the Brits notching up lifetime bests.
“Hillary Blor’s time was the fastest winning 5000m we have had in a Grand Prix since 2005, which was a year that we had a certain Mo Farah setting PBs in BMC races,” said Tim Brennan.
“This is an area in which we want to see improvements so it is encouraging that we had a lot of people going under 14 minutes. It is good progress and hopefully we can see more of that this summer.”
Olimpia Breza’s late decision to race the women’s 5000m paid off handsomely as the Poland athlete was rewarded with a PB of 15:56.59 as she held off the British duo of Holly Dixon and Sophie Tarver, both of whom also broke 16 minutes with PBs.
Indeed, 10 of the top 12 ran lifetime bests which is again further good news on the improved standards of 5000m running.
Ireland runners Finley Daly and Amy Greene were the respective winners in the 3000m steeplechase.
