World Indoor Athletics Championships

Sheddie · administrator

World Indoor Athletics Championships

Sheddie · administrator

British Team:

Men

60m
Tim Abeyie
Club: Woodford Green & EL
Coach: Linford Christie

Mark Findlay
Club: Newham & Essex Beagles
Coach: Mike Afilaka

400m
Daniel Caines
Club: Birchfield Harriers
Coach: Jeff Howser

800m
Jimmy Watkins
Club: Cardiff AAC
Coach: Arwyn Davies

1500m
Colin McCourt
Club: Bournemouth AC
Coach: Mark Rowland

Neil Speaight
Club: Belgrave Harriers
Coach: Joe Welch

Long Jump
Nathan Morgan (Subject to achieving qualifying standard)
Club: Birchfield Harriers
Coach: Ted King

Triple Jump
Nathan Douglas
Club: Oxford City AC
Coach: Ted King

Women

60m
Jeanette Kwakye (Subject to fitness)
Club: Woodford Green & Essex Ladies
Coach: Mike Afilaka

Joice Maduaka
Club: Woodford Green & Essex Ladies
Coach: Ron Roddan

800m
Jenny Meadows
Club: Wigan & District
Coach: Trevor Painter

Karen Harewood
Club: Corby AC
Coach: Charlie McConnell

1500m
Katrina Wootton
Club: Bedford & County
Coach: Andy Hobdell

60m Hurdles
Sarah Claxton
Club: Woodford Green & EL
Coach: Michael Afilaka

4x400m Relay
Helen Karagounis
Club: Birchfield Harriers
Coach: Todd Bennett

Melanie Purkiss
Club: Team Southampton
Coach: Todd Bennett

Emma Duck
Club: Team Southampton
Coach: Todd Bennett

Lesley Owusu
Club: WSE&H
Coach: Tony Lester

Jenny Meadows
Club: Wigan & District
Coach: Trevor Painter

Sheddie · administrator

Medals are likely to be few and far between at this event. These are my picks for possible medals:

Nathan Morgan in the long jump and Nathan Douglas in the triple jump should be definately in contention. Morgan hasn't achieved the qualifying standard yet which isn't promising but if he does, he has the ability to pull a big jump out of the bag which would get a medal. This is Douglas' opportunity to amend for last year's disappointment at the World Outdoors. Does anyone know what his recent form has been like ?

Joice Maduaka could have an outside chance of making the final in the women's 60m as does Tim Abeyie in the men's 60m though both are very long shots at a medal.

Sarah Claxton has an outside chance of a medal in the women's 60m hurdles, she apparently struggles a lot with nerves in major championships and this let her down last year. The Jamaican Golding-Clark, is the fastest so far this year and is the favourite. Sarah is the only athlete going for both the world indoors and the commonwealth games.

The women's 4x400m squad looks quite strong so I'm confident they will get a bronze or maybe even a silver in the 4x400m relay.

Sheddie · administrator

Jeanette Kwayke has withdrawn from the team through injury

Sally · Grand Slam Champion

Has anyone been watching it this morning?I watched it from about 8:45, and the only Brit I saw was Joice Maduaka in the 60m. She came third in her heat and qualified for the semi-finals this afternoon.

mkkreuk · Admin:Moderator + ATP qualifying

Sally wrote:

Has anyone been watching it this morning?I watched it from about 8:45, and the only Brit I saw was Joice Maduaka in the 60m. She came third in her heat and qualified for the semi-finals this afternoon.

Its not on the BBC is it? Therefore i ahvent been able to watch it! :cries:

Me'lisa Barber will most likely win the 60m though for the women! Joice may struggle to reach the final...will be touch and go methinks

Sheddie · administrator

I haven't been watching it as I haven't got Eurosport but I've been following it on the website.

Other results:

Ireland's Alistair Cragg qualified by coming 4th in the men's 3000m heats with a season's best

Joice Maduaka did well to qualify from that very tricky heat which included Christine Arron and Zhanna Block !!

Men's 60m: Tim Abeyie qualified by coming 3rd in his heat bt the time of 6.81 was disappointing.

The action continues this afternoon with the women's 60m semis at 3.10pm GMT

Sheddie · administrator

mkkreuk wrote:

Sally wrote:
Has anyone been watching it this morning?I watched it from about 8:45, and the only Brit I saw was Joice Maduaka in the 60m. She came third in her heat and qualified for the semi-finals this afternoon.

Its not on the BBC is it? Therefore i ahvent been able to watch it! :cries:
Me'lisa Barber will most likely win the 60m though for the women! Joice may struggle to reach the final...will be touch and go methinks

I think the Beeb may shows some coverage over the weekend. I agree with you about the women's 60m though Christine Arron and Lauryn Williams will be threats. The only real chances of British track medals is the 4x400m relay and maybe Sarah Claxton if she can produce her best form

Sally · Grand Slam Champion

I watched about an hour on Eurosport until they cut away for the cycling. Joice Maduaka didn`t qualify for the women`s 60m final, same for Tim Abeyie and Mark Findlay in the men`s. Jenny Meadows got into the women`s 800m semis as the fastest loser though.

Sheddie · administrator

Disappointing about Abeyie and Maduaka in the 60m but I suppose it was to be expected. I doubt Jenny Meadows will reach the final but you never know !

Sally · Grand Slam Champion

She ran a strange race tactically, staying at the back until about 300m to go, and then came through. It was a fast start to the race, and most of the others were fading by then so she just picked them off. The commentators kept saying she`ll have to run from the front more or less next time, but Karen Harewood did that and faded very badly. I think she finished 4th in her heat and was never in contention for a fastest loser spot, so I`m not sure that they`re entirely right with that one.

Sheddie · administrator

Sally wrote:

She ran a strange race tactically, staying at the back until about 300m to go, and then came through. It was a fast start to the race, and most of the others were fading by then so she just picked them off. The commentators kept saying she`ll have to run from the front more or less next time, but Karen Harewood did that and faded very badly. I think she finished 4th in her heat and was never in contention for a fastest loser spot, so I`m not sure that they`re entirely right with that one.

The tactics of Brits in the middle distance and long distance races have always puzzled me - they seem to virtually always stay right at the back and then only make a move when it's almost too late. Either that or they run from the front and act as pacemaker for the stronger runners who can then pick them off in the latter stages. The most sensible tactic would seem to be to stay in the middle of the pack or just on the tail of the leader and then make a move near the end. I remember in the European outdoors in 2002, Michael East was recent Commonwealth Champion and one of the favourites for gold but got his tactics horribly wrong and got stuck at the back where he couldn't use his explosive finish.

Sally · Grand Slam Champion

I`m going to watch the athletics now but I`ll keep coming back and posting British results if there are any, if anyone wants me to?

Sally · Grand Slam Champion

Nathan Douglas has qualified for the final of the Triple Jump.

Jenny Meadows was narrowly run out into fourth in her 800m semi, so she just missed out on a spot in the final.

Jimmy Watkins went out very hard at the start of his 800m final and was passed by Bungei, who won that semi. I thought he was going to be run out it but he crossed the line at the same time as a Latvian athlete and was given third spot, so he`s into the final!

Sheddie · administrator

Sarah Claxton went out in the 60m hurdles after finishing 5th in her heat, it's been a shame that she hasn't been able to recapture the form and times she produced last season. Sarah says she's been struggling with an achilles injury and won't be going to the Commonwealth Games.

Fantastic performance from Jimmy Watkins to reach the final against a world-class field

Great to see a new name coming through !!
After the race Watkins said "I hope the Welsh selectors are embarrassed," having been left out of the Welsh Commonwealth Games squad.

Nathan Douglas and the women's 4x400m squad will today provide the first real chances GB have had of winning medals in this championships. Hopefully Douglas can make up for his disappointing showing in the world outdoors last year, he has the capabilities of producing a gold medal winning jump.

If we don't win any medals today it will be the 1st time ever that that's happened in the world indoors.