Irie Hill sets a new W45 Pole vault record and other news on Day 2 of the World Masters Athletics Indoor Championships in Budapest
Written by Bridget Cushen on 28/03/2014
On Day 2 of the World Masters Athletics Indoor Championships in Budapest, Irie Hill raised her own World W45 pole vault record to 3.55m, Alison Murray took the silver clearing 2.80m. Alan Leiper also got a silver in the men’s M50 age category clearing 3.80m.
Olympian Tony Whiteman had an easy passage in his M40 800m heat, fellow Senior international James Thie also qualified in the M35-39 group.
In an exciting 60m sprint Final, Mark Findlay lost out to the Brazilian Rodrigo Fellini 6.92 to 6.95sec. Tam Ossai got 4th in 7.05sec. Mark Collins won bronze in the M40 group. The women’s 35-39 age group attracted 30 competitors and any hope of a British win was thwarted by the inform American World Masters 100m Champion, Brandi Bernert, who held off Ellena Ruddock to win in 7.75 with Ellena 7.80. Lesley Owusu finished out of the medals in 5th, the third British finalist, Helen Channon got 6th. Caroline Powell was just headed by the Canadian, Del Grande in the W60 sprint and evergreen Alan Mellett added another silver behind Kimmel of Germany in the M60 final.
In the jumps it was bronze medals for W40 Fiona Davidson and W65 Pat Oakes.
The walkers had a golden day with M65 Ian Richards claiming another World title ahead of John Hall. Colin Turner led the 21-strong M70 field home. Arthur Thomson was an emphatic M75 winner and Abingdon AC’s Noel Blatchford took the W65 World crown. Our two octogenarians, Eric Horwill and 86-year old James Farrar, just missed the rostrum finishing 4th in their M80 and M85 category.
See the list of results here.