While Woodford Green AC team-mates shine in British League

Woodford Green AC with Essex Ladies’ Dan Awde moved up to 10th in the UK all-time list on his way to winning the England Decathlon Championship.

At the event held in Bedford, the Beijing Olympic representative produced a personal best of 46.71 seconds over 400metres to put him on course to record a points tally of 7,869.

Awde also excelled in the 110m hurdles, recording a time of 14.36, and after having his progress halted by a knee injury last season, now looks back to somewhere near his best as he continues to improve.

In Germany at the Spakassen Gala in Regensburg, Olympic 100m finalist Jeanette Kwakye won over 100m, recording 11.45 into a stiff headwind.

Meanwhile, the Woodford men opened up their British Athletics League season with a second place finish behind Birchfield Harriers in the opening meeting in Cardiff.

The event got off to the perfect start with Andy Frost picking up victory in the hammer with a distance of 68.89m, whilst current UK number two Mark Dry was back in fourth and was second in the B event.

In the other throws Tom Norman was a good third in the discus with 55.43m and Emeka Udechuku took top honours in the B event with 54.87m.

Back on the track, Dan Davis picked up solid points in the 110m hurdles and was given the same time as the winner with a personal best of 13.84.

Debutant Jordan Kirby-Polidore acquitted himself well in the 100m with a fifth place finish in 10.69 before taking the runner-up spot in the 200m A string in a time of 21.06.

However, the European junior bronze medallist Eugene Ayanful didn’t fare quite so well after being disqualified in the A event of the 100m.

There was also a win for Graham Hedman in the A 400m event and he looked in good shape with 47.33.

Andy Mariani took a welcome second place in the B 800m in 1.55.80, whilst Omar Mansour got stuck at the back of the field in the A equivalent and ended up finishing in sixth place.

Hywel Care and Bertie Powell produced a good set of points after finishing fifth in the A 5,000m event and fourth in the B race respectively.

The 3,000m steeplechase contributed good points as Ryan McKinlay placed fourth with 9.34.29 and another debutant, Tomaz Pilbersek, despite falling at the second barrier recovered to win the B race in 9.43.24.

Of the jumping events the high jump contributed the most to the team tally.

Polish international Robert Wolski was second in the A event with 2.10m, whilst former GB international Ben Challenger was back in BAL action, winning the B competition with 2.05m.

The triple jump saw another debutant, Matt Morsia, place seventh in the A competition with 14.38m, while Sayo Ojo won the B with 14.34m.

The meeting concluded with the relays and both teams placed third.

The 4x100m squad of Davis, Polidore-Kirby, Omololu Abiodun and Ayanful recorded 41.76 and the 4x400m squad of Musa Audu, Abiodun, Nathan Wake and Hedman, recorded 3.19.00.