Rob Mullett from Lewes romped to a brilliant victory in the UK 3,000m steeplechase championships at a hot and windy Alexander Stadium at Birmingham on Saturday while Emma Macready from Worthing took the silver medal in the women’s championship.
The championships incorporated the Trials for the World Championships but unfortunately the standard of the opposition plus the uncomfortable conditions were not conducive for fast times and his handsome victory, after leading from the 2km mark, in 8:38.95s saw him finish ten seconds outside the World Standard time but three seconds clear of Bracknell’s Zac Seddon.
Ryan Driscoll from Crowborough finished in seventh place in 8:59.72s.
In the women’s race Macready led the chase behind Lennie Waite (Aldershot), who had run so well at the European team championships, to finish second in 10:29.16s after a great battle for the silver medal.
Brighton & Hove sprinter Anna Short ran a brilliant 100m into a strong head wind in her heat in 12.12s to finish fourth to qualify for Sunday’s semi-final while Kim Baptiste (Crawley) just missed qualification in fifth place in 12.24s.
Charlie Grice (Brighton Phoenix) did all that was asked of him in his heat of the 1500 squeezing home in first place ahead of fellow Sussex athlete, Adam Clarke from Hastings clocking 3:47.05 to 3:48.16s. Ian Crowe-Wright (Brighton & Hove) finished in seventh place in 3:53.64s.
Lee Emanuel from Hastings qualified for the final in third place in the third and fastest heat in 3:44.85s with Robbie Fitzgibbon finishing eighth in 3:50.47. This heat was won by Ross Murray (Gateshead) who was the fastest qualifier winning in 3:44.14s.
Beth Close (Brighton & Hove) won the Sussex battle in the heats of the 100m hurdles clocking 14.27s for fourth place ahead of Crawley’s Amy Barclay who placed sixth in 24.69s.
Jason Hussain (Crawley) finished fourth in both his 100 and 200m heats, into a head winds, clocking 10.81 and 21.46s respectively.
Ollie Smith from Chichester did well to reach the semi-finals of the 400 metres clocking a personal best of 47.96s for fourth place in his heat but he was squeezed into eighth place in his semi in
48.95s. while Club mate Isobel Brown, back from her America College, finished seventh in the high jump clearing 1.70m