Sussex athletes made a good start to the first day of the British Championships an Olympic Trials at Manchester last night with several booking themselves a place in today’s finals.
A trio of Brighton Phoenix 1500m runners will be lining up for to-day’s 1,500m final, which should be a corker.
Charlie de’vall Grice ran a very impressive heat and although one of the slower qualifiers he always looked in charge winning his race in 3:46.63s. He is one of half-a-dozen British athletes who already has gained the Olympic Qualifying this season.
Club mates George Mills and Archie Davis both finished second in their heats in 3:44.91s and 3:45.96s respectively.
In the 400 metres Crawley’s Surrey athlete Niclas Baker stormed down the home straight to win his heat in 46.81s while in the Women’s 400m Brighton & Hove’s Amber Anning virtually controlled her heat before being caught on the line as she eased into the tape in 53.05s. The first two runners qualify for today’s final.
Running in the women’s 100m. Crawley’s Kimbely Baptise finished second in her heat, behind Diana Asher-Smith in 11.86s and will race in the semi-finals to-day.
Also in action to-day will be Saltdean’s Cameron Fillery in the 110m hurdles heats and hopefully in the final. Lucas Bigg (Phoenix) in the 800m heats, Gemma Tutton from Lewes, who is still in the U17 age group in pole vault while the final of the 1500m will be at 3.30 and the women’s 400m at 5.10.