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Report 800m Men

ANDREW Osagie was the star of the latest Nike Grand Prix in Manchester last night with a superb win in the men’s 800m A race.
The 23-year-old St Mary’s College student broke his lifetime best by 0.78 seconds with a time of 1:45.63, overhauling the Santa Monica Track Club pair of American Richard Jones and Prince Mumba of Zambia in the final 200 metres.
The time lifted Osagie, who is coached by Craig Winrow, to second in the UK Rankings behind Michael Rimmer (1:45.12) and fourth on the BMC All-Time list behind Richard hill (1:45.10 in 2006), Patrick Ndururi (1:45.2, 1997) and Rimmer (1:45.47, 2006).
Furthermore, it was also a stadium record with the Harrow AC runner breaking the previous best of 1:46.1 set by American Paul McMullen and running faster than Seb Coe or Andy Carter ever did on the same track.
“That was a great race,” said Osagie.“The pacemaker was excellent and the guys from overseas really helped to make the race and they made it much easier for me.“I have to thank the BMC for putting on such a great race.”
Osagie, who is based at St Mary’s University in west London, only returned to racing after injury at the Gold Standard race in Watford last week, clocking 1:47.42.
Saturday’s run was a huge leap forward for the Harrow runner and will be a massive boost for his confidence going into the World trials in Birmingham next weekend.
“It is coming together nicely now and I could be hitting form at the right time with the trials coming up and, hopefully, the Worlds. That’s the aim,” he added.
The impressive times in the 800m continued in the B race with Canadian Matt Lincoln ending a seven-year wait to better his PB with victory in 1:48.72.
“My last PB was 1:48.83 during the 2004 indoor season so it has been a long time coming,” said Lincoln, who competes for the Phoenix club, in Toronto.
”I only arrived in the UK on Monday so I can’t complain at all about that time. I have a few more races in Europe so hopefully I can go a bit quicker yet.”
Runner-up was Rochdale’ David Proctor in a PB of 1:49.43 while third was former British international Anthony Whiteman in 1:49.29, his fastest time since 2004.
Wakefield’s Jack Hallas clocked a season’s best of 1:50.62 to win the C race while the D race saw a significant breakthrough for Sale Manchester Harrier Rhys Smith, who improved his PB by a second-a-and-a-half to break 1:50 for the first time with 1:49.87.
“I used to be a 400m runner and to be honest this is my first real season at the 800 and I’m still learning,” said Smith. “The target was to break 1:50 by the end of the season but to do it now was a surprise – and a very nice one!”
There was a top class performance in the E race with 16-year-old Shaftesbury Barnet Harrier Matt McLaughlin moving to first place in the UK Athletics Rankings with a personal best time of 1:51.59.
Reaching the bell in 54.23secs the teenager took control of the race and pushed hard from the front for the whole second lap to clip one second off his previous best.
“ I was hoping for 1:50 but had no-one to race in the final 200 metres and was out on my own,” said McLaughlin. “If I had someone on my shoulder pushing me I could have definitely run quicker.”
McLaughlin’s next big event will be the European Club’s Under 20 Championships, in Valencia, in which he is hoping to run either the 400m or 800m.
The F race was won by a very happy Toby Griffiths of Oswestry in 1:52.32.
“That’s a PB and it is about time as it is my first one of the season,” said Griffiths.
The G race was a real humdinger between Edinburgh’s Dougie Selman and Phil Waite of Barrow & Furness, with the latter just prevailing in a new personal best time of 1:54.12.
“That was a tough race as Dougie just stuck in there. It is a marginal PB but they all count,” said Waite. “But I’m a little gutted that I didn’t beat my coach’s (Pat Miller) best of 1:54.1. He’ll still be teasing me that that he is the fastest in the group!”
Sam Deathe, of Marshall Milton Keynes, led from the gun to win the H race in a PB of 1:54.77 while in the I race Gateshead’s Thomas Marper timed his late burst to perfection to clinch victory in a time of 1:57.54.

800m Women
Canadian Jessica Smith and training partner Helen Crofts were denied a one-two in the A race as leading Brit Stacey Smith split the pair with a season’s best of 2:03.29.
“I came over to Europe last week and raced in Belgium but tonight was the first time I felt I got my legs back after the jet-lag and time difference,” said Smith, who is based in Vancouver and came second in the Canadian Championships in a PB 2:01.54.
“I was boxed in coming off the bend (in a group of five runners) but luckily the inside opened up otherwise I would have been forced wide.
“I’m pleased to win my first BMC race and I thought it was a strong field and a good race.”
Smith was using the race to sharpen up for the 1500m at the UK Championships & World Championship trials in Birmingham this weekend and wasn’t unhappy with her night’s work.
“I felt I needed an 800m before the trials and while the race slowed on the second lap and everyone bunched up I quite enjoyed it,” said Smith.
It was another Canadian winner of the B race with Nicole Sifuentes clocked 2:05.59 from Claire Tarplee, with a season’s best of 2:05.56, while in the C race victory went to Shewsbury’s Claire Burgoyne in a big PB of 2:07.08.
Only sixth at the bell Derby’s 25-year-old Natalie Shaw finally over-hauled leader Alex Turner at the 600m mark for a well-judged victory in the D race 2:13.00, just a fraction outside her PB of 2:12.5.
“In all my previous races I was first at the bell so this time I held back,” said Shaw. “I had a slight panic at being so far back but Juts kept working and felt very strong. I was pleased with my season’s best but slightly disappointed to not beat my best from last year.”
Wakefield junior Sally Smith also came from way back to overhaul leaders Michelle Stone and Laura Riches and win the E race in a personal best of 2:13.03, eclipsing her previous best of 2:13.86.
“I have been injured this season but my confidence is coming back after running a 400m PB last week and now this PB tonight,” said Smith.”It is nice to be running PBs again and while I was a long way back I was always confident as I have a strong finish.”

1500m Men
Arguably the most impressive Irish winner of the night was Ciaran O’Lionaird in the A race. After taking control in the middle of the race the 23-year-old Florida State university student he hit the bell in 2:41 and unleashed a strong last lap to hold off Denmark’s Andreas Bueno and Hans Kristian Floystad of Norway.
“It was not as quick as I wanted but I had no help on the third lap,” said O’Lionaird, whose home is in Leevale, near Cork. “I have run PBs at the mile, 300m and 5000m this season and that’s good but winning races is what it is all about so it’s satisfying to do that tonight.”
Behind O’Lionaird there was a PB of 3:42.24 for leading Brit Frank Baddick and a season’s best of 3:42.28 for British international James Brewer, continuing his comeback after injury.
Gateshead’s Phil Hurst showed tremendous strength to hold off Andy Wiles and Sweden’s fast-finishing to win the B race in 3:43.35.
“I wanted 3:42 tonight but you can’t have everything and I claimed a few scalps from guys who have run 3:40 in the past which is really pleasing,” said Hurst.
“I knew I had some good lads behind me when I took it on with 600m to go so I had to keep pushing. I enjoyed that and it was a really good race.” Hurt will now run the trials this weekend.
It was another runner from the Irish contingent that won the C race with Tallaght’s Anthony Leighio powering clear of the field on the finial circuit for a commanding win in 3:45.36.

It was another runner from the Irish contingent that won the D race with David Rooney , of Dublin-based club Rahemy Shamrock, breaking 3:50 for the first time with 3:48.43.
“That was two seconds off my PB so it was well worth coming over,” said Rooney, who was in the Irish team that won the junior men’s team title at the European Cross Country Championships.

1500m Women
London-based Irish runner Orla Drumm switched tactics to win her first Grand Prix of the season. The 27-year-old University College, Cork, student , who set her PB of 4:15.37 at the Sportcity meeting in May, finished strongly to claim victory in 4:17.58.
“At Watford and Solihull I pushed the pace along but this time the plan was to sit in and kick,” said Drumm, who is studying for a Masters Degree at Queen Mary University. “It is the first BMC race I have won since 2006 and it was good to feel competitive.
“I’ll be doing the Irish trials in two weeks and I’m hoping to win that but there are a lot of good Irish girls around at the moment so it is going to be quite a race.”
Runner-up (4:18.76) Katrina Wootton was pleased with her run.
“It was an improvement on Solihull and I felt a lot stronger,” said Wootton.
Nene Valley teenager Charlotte Taylor gave an impressive display of front-running in the B race, shooting ahead of the pacemaker to reach the bell in 3:15. Wirral AC’s Hannah Tarver caught her on the last lap but Taylor refused to give way and the 17-year-old kicked again to win in a PB of 4:31.24.
“I was feeling really good so went straight into the lead as I was determined to run a PB, which I did by almost three seconds,” said Taylor.
“Luckily I had a bit left when Hanna caught me and I was really happy to win that race.”

3000m Men
James Wilkinson warmed up for the 3000m steeplechase in the World trials next weekend with victory in the flat 3000m. A large group of six runners reached the bell in 6:57 and it was Wilkinson who was the strongest to hold off Irishman Sean Connolly for victory in 7:56.84.
“That was only a second outside my PB so I’m very pleased with that,” said Wilkinson. “It was a good warm-up for the trials where there is a chance of a title.”
The B race was won Leeds City’s Simon Deakin in 8:15.42 from Ipswich junior Kieran Clements, who carved almost seven seconds off his PB while in the C race Belgrave’s Mark Pollard produce a superb finish to catch long time leader Thomas Cornthwaite of Blackburn on the finish line for a time of 8:30.94.
“I think I can always find a wee bit at the finish but I was a bit lazy in the middle,” said Pollard, whose time was a season’s best.

3000m Women
With her confidence high after a PB in the 1500m at Solihull in-form Naomi Taschimowitz stepped up to the 3000m and the Taunton AC international powered clear of Leigh’s Lauren Howarth on the final lap for victory in 9:12.66, a PB by almost 12 seconds.
“I have not run a 3000m for a year so it is nice to come out and break my PB,” said Taschimowitz. “I’m running the 5000m at the trials next week and it will only be my second so I’m hoping for a big improvement as I didn’t get the first one right. It would be good to get under 16 minutes.”

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