Sonia Samuels
On a quiet weekend across the UK results were as follows:
Berlin Half Marathon, April 3
Sonia Samuels finished a high profile third at the Vattenfall Berlin Half Marathon on Sunday.
Samuels the first Briton to make a podium finish in the race, was beaten by African athletes Valentine Kipketer and Fate Tola.Kenya’s Kipketer won easily in a time of one hour 10 minutes 12 seconds from the highly experienced Tola who placed seventh in last year’s IAAF World Half Marathon Championships.
The Ethiopian runner up on an extremely hot morning clocked 1:11:40, with Samuels who deliberately started slowly, following her home in 1:12:56.
“I didn’t really know how fast to run so I took it steady at the start,” said Samuels who hails from the North East but now lives in Manchester.
The Sale Harrier added: “I really wanted to run quicker but I fell behind the pack of men I was running with at 18 kilometres and was running in a vacuum.
“I wish I’d pushed harder earlier but it was all so new running (the half marathon) for the first time.”
For more info visit http://www.berliner-halbmarathon.de/en/
Scottish Road Relay Championships, Livingston, April 3
Leading over all six stages, Shettleston Harriers were the winners in the men’s race. They had the three fastest long-stage legs with Paul Sorrie (29:35), Matthew Gillespie (29:37) Tewoldeberhan Mengisteab (29:40) all running similar times helping the Harriers to a two and a half minute victory.
They also had the fastest short leg, clocked by their opening runner Michael Gillespie, who timed 15:35.
Kilbarchan won the women’s Four-stage race by just over 90 seconds with their team anchored by former Aviva GB and NI international Hayley Haining.
However it was Haining’s clubmates, Elspeth Curran (Coach: Lawrie Spence) and Christina Rankin who ran the fastest respective short (17:32) and long (34:04) legs.
Results on www.scottishathletics.org.uk
Cambridge Throws Festival, April 2
Michael Painter (Coach: John Painter) went second in the McCain Power of Ten rankings in the Under 17 discus with a personal best throw of 48.82m.
Painter already tops the rankings at hammer with his throw of 67.03m at Thetford on March 26 and he came close to that with a 66.59m throw at Cambridge.
Results are available on the following link:
http://www.thepowerof10.info/resultsfiles/2011/49046_12658_03042011100947_Results%20of%20Cambridgeshire%20Throws%20Development%20April%202nd%20201..pdf
Havering Maysbrook Spring Warm Up, Hornchurch, April 2
In the early-season meet, Georgia Taylor (Coach: Brian Kiernan) went second in the McCain Power of 10 Under 15 discus rankings with a throw of 34.11m.
Kike Oniwinde (Coach: Sam Harrison) went second in both the overall and Under 20 women’s javelin rankings with a PB throw of 47.18m.
