There were a plethora of personal bests for Sussex athletes at the BMC Grand Prix at Manchester’s Sports City on Saturday.
A trio of Brighton Phoenix athletes were seeking qualifying times for the forthcoming European U20 championships and the World Youths Games and all were able to return home happy with their efforts.
Spencer Thomas needed to crack 1:49 for the 800m and with a splendid run in third place the Under 20 athlete clocked 1:48.84s and can now only await the decision of the selectors.
Even at this pace he was not the first Sussex runner to finish, Taking second place and running for Windsor former County champion Rory Graham-Watson clocked 1:48.66s.
Robbie Fitzgibbon, also in the under 20 age group, tackled the Open 1500m and took fifth place in 3:44.34s to crack the standard time of 3:44.5s.
Archie Davis target for a place in the World U18 Youth Games was 3:51.0s. Still in the U17 age group but racing against senior athletes Davis finished 12th in the “B” race but his time was a cracking 3:48.97s.
Racing in the “D” race fellow Phoenix athlete Max Pickard set his personal best when placing tenth in 3:52.79s while Brighton & Hove’s Iain Crowe-Wright was two places behind in 3:53.98s.
Racing in the 5000m “B” race Brighton & Hove’s Stephen Ferroni, who is in his first year in the U20 age group, finished 16th but was just outside his PB, he had recorded at the County Championships the previous weekend clocking 15:10.70s.
There was however another PB in the women’s 5000m where Grace Baker from Hastings, who is in the U20 age group, placed 12th in 16:19.66s, which places her sixth on the Sussex “Top Ten” list.
Baker's time was also a qualifying time for the European Junior championships and as the first Under 20 finisher she will get automatic selection for the championships.