Oxford Grand Prix -18 July 2015 – Results

Report

TWO World Championship qualifying times were the highlight of the fourth Grand Prix of the summer at the Iffley Road track in Oxford.
Both Shelayna Oskan-Clark and current UK No1 Jenny Meadows dipped inside the UKA qualifying standard of 2mins 01.00secs after a titanic battle in the women’s 800m.
Victory in 2:00.92 also earned Oskan-Clare a £500 bonus from the BMC for breaking 2mins 01secs with Meadows receiving £300 for finishing second in 2:00.99.
In addition they were the second and third fastest 800m run on British soil by British runners this season behind Laura Muir (2:00.42)

800m A RACES

The women’s Grand Prix 800m races this summer have been some of the best and the latest at Oxford was no different.
Shelayna Oskan-Clark and current UK No1 Jenny Meadows traded blows all around the second lap after reaching the bell in 58.11secs. meadows hit the front at 500m with Oskan-Clark doggedly following as the duo eased well clear of Katherine Marshall and Rachael McClay.
But Oskan-Clark wasn’t finished and around the top end she moved ahead of Meadows again. The gap was imperceptible and down the home straight it seemed Meadows would edge ahead again.
But Oskan-Clarke showed great strength and determination to hold on and beat that 2:01 target in dramatic style.
“I had to dig very deep to stay with Jenny and I am so please to win and to get under 2:01 again,” said Oskan-Clark. “I am so happy with that.”
Meadows was gracious in defeat but admitted she needed to win and in a faster time to support her claim to make the trip to Beijing as one of the third discretionary choices.
“It was my third race in eight days so it has been pretty busy and it was always asking a lot to get under two minutes,” said Meadows.
“But I am really pleased for Shelayna.”
For the second time in a week Elliot Giles ran inside 1mins 48seccs as he followed up his PB of 1:47.55secs at the Watford Gold Standard meeting the previous Wednesday with 1:47.74 for victory.
The 21-year-old St Mary’s University student tracked Sam Ellis, a fellow member of Birchfield Harriers, down the back straight after they had been taken around to 400m in 52.27secs.
The pair both looked comfortable but must have been aware that the lurking presence of Anthony Whiteman was just behind waiting to pounce if they faltered.
But there was no denying the Birchfield boys as Elliot hit the front in the final 200m to clinch victory from Ellison, who was rewarded with 1:48.20 with Whiteman running a season’s best of 1:48.81.
“I must admit I wasn’t feeling that great this evening probably due to the race on Wednesday but I hung in there and it is great to win again,” said Giles.

800m B/C RACES

To the naked eye it was impossible to see who had won when Ben Rochford was caught right on the finish line by Sam Mitchell in the B race.
If victory was awarded for bravery and determination then Rochford would have edged it as the 19-year-old Shaftesbury Barnet Harrier went with the pacemaker through the bell in 53.22secs and then strode out on his own 10 metres clear of the field.
At 600m he was still looking strong and clear but Mitchell was now giving chase and closing. Down the home straight Mitchell edged closer and closer and just when it seemed Rochford has done enough to hold on the Nots AC runner lunged for the line.
“I’m not sure I won that but you know I had absolutely nothing left,” said Rochford immediately afterwards.
The photo finish gave Mitchell the decision and both men were rewarded with PBs of 1:50.42secs. It couldn’t get any closer than that.
Frank Baddick used all his experience to snatch victory in closing stages of the men’s C race in a season’s best of 1:52.19 ahead of juniors Nathan Gillis and Scott Greeves.
“It is the first 800m I have run in anger this summer and I was just trying to find some room,” said Baddick. “But it was really nice to win a race again.”

Revee Walcott-Nolan showed admirable composure to win the women’s B race after suffering the equivalent of a ‘false start’.
The starter’s marksman got the field to stand up as Walcott-Nolan wobbled on the start line and when she set off a second time she literally sat back on her heels to give her rivals a head start.
If that phased her it didn’t show as the 20-year-old British Championship finalist let Cheltenham’s Julia Cooke and Katelyn Ayers of Canada force the pace from the bell reached in around 62 seconds.
Walcott-Nolan just bided her time before edging clear to win in 2:05.02, her second best time ever behind that recent 2:04.92 in the heats of the national championships.
“The ‘false start’ did put me off and I did not get a good start but I have a strong finish and that got me through for victory which I am delighted with,” said Walcott-Nolan.
Ayers chased had to clock a PB of 2:05.39 in second with Cooke third.
Canadian Sophie Watts marked her debut racing in Europe for the first time with victory in the C race. The 20-year-old, who is ranked in the top 20 at home over two laps and ninth over 1500m, showed great strength on the second lap to win in a PB of 2:05.07.
“It is my first time racing in Europe and I have to be happy with that,” said Watts, who is now off to race in Sweden on Wednesday.

800m D/E/F RACES
With a great finish off the final bend mum Michaela Mayor of Hillingdon was delighted with her victory in the D race in a season’s best of 2:08.38.
“I had twins four years ago but they were poorly so it has taken me a while to get back,” said Mayor, who boasts a lifetime best of 2:04.47.
“I am classing that as post-baby PB!”
Cheltenham’s Mia O’Connnell kept her composure when she realised that she had forgotten her spikes and with coach Matt Richards borrowing a spare pair she won the E race.
“I have small feet at four-and-a-half and as quite a few people had left by the time my race was on towards the end it took a while for Matt to find a pair,” said O’Connell.
Doug Musson and Jonathan Tobin both clocked PBs to win the men’s D and E 800m respectively and it was good to see Tom Marshall back winning again in the F race and finishing just 0.42secs off his PB.
“I have been struggling with injuries and fitness so that is a nice confidence boost for me,” said Marshall. “I am really happy with that.”

MEN’S MILE RACES
Cameron Boyek was the deserved winner of the mile and maybe victory helped to soothe some of the frustration he suffered when finishing seventh in the 1500m at the European Under 23 Championships.
“That was a race in which I got boxed on the inside and just nothing opened up for me at all,” said Boyek.
“It was frustrating as I felt I had so much left but it is good to win today even though I didn’t feel that great and I had to really dig in hard on that third lap.”
Still, as his coach David Lowes said winning when things aren’t going your way is a good habit to develop and there is no doubt Boyek deserved victory from Richard Weir and Ben Coldray, who clocked a PB.
Jacob Allen’s winning time of 4:03.99 in the B race would have placed him sixth in the A as he held off his St Mary’s university team-mate Rowan Axe as both men recorded PBs as did Gilbert Grundy in third.
Liverpool’s John Ashcroft looked impressive in winning the C race while a hotly contested Masters race saw a superb last lap from City of Stoke’s Dean Richardson to clinch victory from Oxford’s Les Newell.
Ashcroft’s winning time of 4:22.82 lifted him to fourth on the Masters M40 All-Time list.
“And I only took up running two-and-a-half years ago,” said Richardson.

WOMEN’S 1500m
British international Charlene Thomas ran a season’s best of 4:08.82 for a runaway victory in the 1500m but she accepts that a place in the GB team for Beijing may be beyond her this season.
“I was really wanted the qualifying time (4:06.50 set by UKA) today but on my own on that last lap and into the wind it just got away from me,” said Thomas.
“I know it is there and I am knocking on the door of my PB (4:03.74) and while I think I will run that this year time is running out for me for Beijing.”
Faye Fullerton continued her go form this season with second with Jade Williams third and further down the field English Schools’ silver medallist Gemma Shepherd ended a good week with a PB in eighth.
There was a terrific contest in the women’s B race as Lucy Robinson hit the front at the bell after junior Aimee Pratt had forced the pace.
But Sarah Chapman of Windsor Slough Eton held her nerve and soared into the lead for the first time with 200m to go and the 17-year-old raced clear to win in a PB of 4:31.91, shaving two seconds off her 2014 best.
“I have not been running that well so it is great to win but I was very tired at the end!” said Chapman, who held off a fast-finishing Natalie Weir who ran a season’s best of 4:32.28.

PETER COE/FRANK HORWILL MILES
Much to the delight of her coach and BMC official John Knowles, who took time off from handling the entries, Yoyo Barnsley raced to an emphatic victory in the Frank Horwill mile for Under 17 women.
“I was really pleased to win especially as I was a little frustrated by finishing fifth in the English Schools’ Championships the previous weekend,” said Barnsley.
“I was only two seconds off the silver and I had so much left in the last 100metres. But I really enjoyed the mile today.”
Peter Cook was equally delighted with his victory in the Peter Coe mile for Under 17 men as he surged clear of Joseph Tuffin.
“I am really happy to win,” said Cook.

MEN’S 5000m
The remarkable rise of Alexander Teuten continued as he celebrated his first appearance in a Grand Prix A race with an outstanding victory.
The 23-year-old City of Portsmouth runner earned his place in the top race after winning the C race at Watford in a big PB of 14:22.79, which carved off 23 seconds from his 2014 best.
The languid, long-striding Teuten bettered that again but only after he had been forced to work really hard to bridge a gap to the leading trio of Rory Chesser, Mohamud Aadan and Philip Sesemann with just under a mile to go.
That foursome reached the bell in 13:07 and were still locked together off the top bend when Teuten stretched those long legs and claimed victory in 14:10.08 with Chesser just 0.42secs behind in second, Aadan third in 14:11.09 and Sesemann fourth (14:11.09), all of which were PBs.
“I think I surprised myself today,” said Teuten.
“I seem to be climbing the ladder pretty quickly and I am quite amazed really.”
Continuing the trend of the season the top six all recorded PBs while in the B race 13 of the 18 finishers ran new bests including the top three of Shaun Dixon, Joshua Bull and Murray Strain.

WOMEN’S 5000m
On her debut at the distance on the track American runner Mary Goldkamp unleashed a powerful last lap to race clear of Stacey Ward and 20-year-old Jennifer Nesbitt.
“I wanted to run 16 minutes because I know I am in decent shape but my coach told me to run to win and I am pleased with that,” said Goldkamp.
“I have been training for the steeplechase this summer but I got tripped up in the US Championships but the target is to try and qualify for the Olympics in Rio next year.”
Chasing hard Ward was rewarded with a PB as were five other women.

Races: 18
Finishers: 239
PBs 110 (46%)
Power of Ten results: Here