AAAs u20 & u23 Championships, Bedford 2^nd & 3^rd July 2005

Lucy Sargent celebrated her selection for the World Youth (u18) championships in Marrakech, Morocco with a medal double at the AAAs u20 champs at Bedford this weekend.  And Faye Fullerton also confirmed her return after injury with bronze in the u23 1500m event.

Lucy learned a few days earlier that she will be competing against the world’s best in the global u18 championships which take place from 13^th to 17^th July. She opened her account at Bedford on Saturday with silver in the 100m event, just losing out to Kadi Ann Thomas to stake a claim for selection for the UK u20 team to compete in the European Championships in Lithuania from 21^st.

And on Sunday she went one better to win 200m gold equalling her legal outdoor best of 23.93s – Lucy has run faster indoors and outdoors with wind assistance.

If Lucy’s medals were perhaps not unexpected that gained by Faye Fullerton was more of a surprise as she had only raced twice this season after a long-term back injury which was followed by a lingering virus.  But despite not approaching top fitness she did enough to place third in a tactical u23 1500m championship race, that started slowly and stepped up a gear after half way.

Half a dozen other club athletes took part. Mel Harrison’s chance of medal slipped away when she only registered one valid throw of her six attempts and she had to settle for fourth.  Sarah Deacon was sixth in the u23 hammer.

Luke Stott improved his 200m PB in his u20 heat and only just missed out on progressing to the second round while Katie Richardson ran a season’s best in the 800m, only just down on her PB, for fifth in her heat. Chloe van Wulven was unable to shake off her disappointing run of recent form, placing sixth in her 100m hurdles heat and Hannah Gamester was 11^th in the u23 long jump.