From Simon Collins
With 2022 halfway ticked off, it’s a great time to look back on some of the amazing performances and achievements recorded by harriers over the first half of the year. Starting with the ladies, were the squad started the year by being crowned senior women’s Lancashire Cross Country champions after four runners finished inside the top 10, including Libby Huxley who was the 2nd U20 runner to cross the finish line. In mid-Lancashire cross-country league the ladies narrowly missing out on the division one title, finished 3rd in the U17 league, and Carla Davies was crowned both senior individual women’s and women’s vet-35 individual champion.
In February Sharon Wilkinson won gold at the European Masters Indoor Championships in Portugal, by winning the vet-50 women’s 400 metres race in a new world record time of 60.11 seconds.
The scan of the clubs all time Power of 10 rankings highlights that the first six months of 2022 have already seen some of the greatest club performances on record. With Queenivette Nguta recording the second faster ever 60m (7.77) and 100m (12.1) times on record and Emma McColm recording the 3rd fastest 3000m time of 9:39.0 in May. Whilst in the field events Emma Harrisons recorded the furthest ever 4k hammer throw of 44.80.
The Men’s team started the year by taking second in the boys U15 event at the Lancashire Cross Country champions, with Matthew Clark being crowned overall U15 boys champion and John Rainford taking the vet-60 crown. Clark would go on to take bronze at the North of England cross country championships. In the mid-Lancashire league the men narrowly missed out on the division one title, whilst the B team on the division three title.
On the track Patrick Dever has been selected to represent England at the commonwealth games and broke the club 10,000m record by running 27:23.88 in March, which at the time of writing is the fastest time recorded by UK athlete in 2022 and fifth fastest time in UK athletics history. Jamaine Coleman is having a stunning 2022 which has included being crowned British 3000 steeplechase champion after running the fastest time for the event in the club’s history of 8:27.01. He has also broken the clubs 1,500m record (3:39.37), and recorded the third fastest 3000m (7:44.65) and 5000m times in the clubs history (13:26.23).
Elsewhere:
· Craig Gill set a new 60m national U23 record for Gibraltar, of 7.10 seconds at the World indoor Championships in Belgrade.
· Curtis Mitchell broke the clubs 110 metre hurdles time in June, recording a time of 14:93 at the Northern Senior championships.
· Edward Jeans is now the clubs hammer record holder after a throw of 68.10 in June, With Alex Bernstein second after throwing 61.44 in April.
· Byron Sowerby was briefly the clubs 3000m steeplechase record holder, after he recorded a time of 9:29.13 in April.
· Scott Sinclar has recorded the second furthest triple jump in the club’s history of 14.71.
· Edward Jeans is now ranked second for the 2k discus after achieving a throw of 39:28 in April.
· Matthew Wigelsworth ran the second fastest 800m time by harrier on Power of 10 of 1:48.56 in May.
· George Lowe is now ranked third for the javelin after a thrown of 51:13 in May.