BRITISH athletes are showing fine form at the World Para Athletics Championships in Dubai. The meeting in the United Arab Emirates is a qualification meeting for the Paralympics in Tokyo next year and Hannah Cockroft, Hollie Arnold and Jonathan Broom-Edwards were among the gold medallists in the opening five days of the championships (the final four days will be featured in next week’s magazine).
Disappointingly, crowds have been poor in stark contrast to the previous championships in London two years ago. But the athletes have risen to the occasion nonetheless with their results featured regularly on BBC and elsewhere.
Day one
Great Britain and Northern and the team enjoyed a golden rt to the World Para Athletics championships last Thursday as l Blake claimed victory in the 800m.
Taking control of the race, the Paralympic 400m champion was through halfway in 62.38 and went on to win in a season’s best of 2:07.44 to finish eight seconds ahead of Algeria’s Sid Ali Bouzourine.
Adding this latest title to his world 800m gold medals from Lyon in 2013 and Doha in 2015, Blake said: “To be honest, I think this is the best one. The way the last two years have panned out, this is really special. To execute the race exactly as I wanted to and to win the gold, I’m really pleased with myself.
“It’s amazing to be the first gold medallist of the champs for Great Britain and hopefully this will spur on the rest of the team to deliver great performances.”
Also among the athletes to impress on day one of the championships was Australia’s Jaryd Clifford who clocked 3:47.78 to break his own T13 1500m world record and get gold ahead of Russia’s Anton Kuliatin (3:47.91) and Algeria’s Paralympic champion Abdellatif Baka (3:49.30).
This story is from the November 14, 2019 edition of Athletics Weekly.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the November 14, 2019 edition of Athletics Weekly.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Carbon Footprint
You'd have had to have been running on a different planet to miss all the recent debate about carbon-plated shoes. The talk of bans and performance enhancement has been so widespread that even non-runners are asking their running friends about the potentially magical footwear.
Trail time
WHEN looking for a trail or off-road running shoe, it’s often all about the grip. However, given that no two paths are the same, careful consideration is required. What’s the terrain like where you’ll wear the shoes the most? If you’ll be negotiating soft, wet and muddy conditions then look for deeper lugs. For tackling gravel tracks and forest trails then more evenly spaced lugs will work better. When it comes to cushioning, consider how hard the ground will be; if it’s soft then you’ll be fine in low-profile shoes, but on those firmer tracks reasonable cushioning will be called for.
Support network
WHEN it comes to ‘over-pronation’, a common question is ‘how much is over?’. With no hard and fast rules, it’s best to choose a shoe that instinctively feels right. Gait analysis can often assist in helping you make this choice and your specialist running store is always a good place to start if in doubt. To help you make that choice, here’s a selection of some of the best ‘support’ shoes around.
Need for speed
THE racing shoe segment of the market is becoming somewhat split. This is partially due to the rise of carbon-plated footwear but also the fact that many shoes are becoming much lighter. Here we take a look at some of the leading contenders to toe the line in.
How To Prime Your Immunity
Taking steps to shore your body’s defences has never been more important. Here’s how to do it, says Peta Bee
English Schools Survival At Stake
Covid-19 could lead to ESAA losing thousands this summer
Covid-19: Athletics Events Are Wiped Out
Unprecedented calendar changes due to Covid-19
Tributes for Lindsay Dunn
BRENDAN FOSTER, CHARLIE SPEDDING AND OTHERS SAY FAREWELL TO ONE OF BRITAIN’S MOST PROLIFIC AND ADMIRED ENDURANCE COACHES
Treasure islands
TRAVEL TO THE CAYMAN ISLANDS IN DECEMBER FOR A RACECATION LIKE NO OTHER
Tokyo Olympics are postponed
2020 GAMES AND PARALYMPICS ARE NOW SET TO TAKE PLACE NEXT YEAR
