MT. SAC 2012 (Hitchon 70.47 NR)

[paul]

http://www.flashwest.com/12Meets/12MtSacRelays/

(hopefully there will be enough to talk about to justify a thread!)

A highlight, already noted elsewhere, is Sarah Holt rising to 4th in the UK all time HT list.

Also Jade Nicholls 59.60 for 4th in the comp shows good consistency following on from her great throw earlier in the week.

Okoye won the men's of course. Is that his second best ever throw in comp.?

[usedtoit33]

Great stuff from Lawrence Okoye! Also two good 5000 marks: Andy Vernon 13:23.20 and Rory Fraser 13:27.70.

[BernardII]

Also two good 5000 marks: Andy Vernon 13:23.20 and Rory Fraser 13:27.70.

Make that 3 good 5000m marks - Julia Bleasdale ran 15:25.62.

[Ecosse]

Martyn Rooney just ran 44.92; watch here http://live.flocasts.org/mtsac-live2.html

[bevone]

rooney lane 7 beat wariner!!!! obvioulsy reverting back to his former training regime rather listening to some theorists has paid off. sanders 52.63 for 3rd look at the archives to see it. Tiff Porter 12.61 w Andy turner 1357w in gainsville Jade Johnson 6.39w won by a french athlete 6.87. myerscough 19.24 sho, 4 x 400m relay won in 3.03, 5.72 win for pole vaulter, 8.03 rutherford (came 5th 8.22 unto -2.2 won) britney rees 7.20ish, 74m mark dry plus lawrence winning in a world lead. not a bad show from the brits so far.

[BBC]

Rooney ! Rooney ! Rooney !

[fangio]

Couldn't get the video to work, was that time from lane 1?

[damienc]

Wow, great run from Rooney! Great to see him back and what a scalp to take!

[damienc]

Chris Clarke 46.02 for second in his run. Not bad. Rob Tobin and Luke LF further down in high 46's.

[damienc]

Would have liked to have seen Nicola run a high 51, so will have to wait and see how she runs in the next couple of races.

[fangio]

Tara Bird 2.03.52, good season opener

[diskobolus]

Just going back to Okoye. He's now thrown the top two throws by a Brit of all time. People were saying his 67m throw last Summer in Barnet was a fluke, and at the time it may have come too soon, but the last 10 days have dispelled the fluke theory. He's thrown well over 60m in the last 3 meets and in the process beat some top throwers.
He's still inconsistent though, first throw today was 48m, but he backed the 66m up with a 64.

[Mr Halibut]

Video of Rooney's run: http://www.flotrack.org/video/630373 - not a great camera angle for the 2nd half but better than nothing.

[Ursus]

Martyn Rooney just ran 44.92; watch here http://live.flocasts.org/mtsac-live2.html

This makes me very happy; following Rooney over the last couple of years has been highly frustrating!

Still reckon he's really an 800 man though.

[Guto Nyth Bran]

Christian Malcolm 10.16 100 albeit with a 2.2 wind.
Margaret Adeoye 11.48 100 (2.4)
Greg Rutherford 8.05 LJ -0.8 wind

[usedtoit33]

Some more really good field event results: Steve Lewis 5.72, Mark Dry gets the first official B standard in the hammer with 74.37, adding a metre to his PB. Looks like it's going to be a fight between him and Alex Smith for that Olympic spot! In other hammer news, Sophie Hitchon went over 70m again with 70.47 to break last month's UK record!

[sprintfan]

Just seeing these very good early season UK athlete results leads me to believe we're in for a fascinating Olympic year - and a logical take off in participation in the UK? Hope so!

[Ursus]

[quote="sprintfan"]Just seeing these very good early season UK athlete results leads me to believe we're in for a fascinating Olympic year - and a logical take off in participation in the UK? Hope so! [/quotE

The power of a home OG! But I'm sure all the athletes are preparing just as they would for any other season.

The improvement in the men's hammer and disc just show the benefits of domestic level strength in depth. Nothing like bit of domestic rivalry to spur people on! If you've got a strong domestic pack, odds are that one or two will crack on to decent things internationally.

[sprintfan]

see the European Athletics site
http://www.tilastopaja.org/db/toplist.p ... eason=2012

Kilty 10.15 2.5w
Malcolm 10.16 2.4w & 20.77 1.8w
Devonish 21.01 0.6w
Davenport 50.50 400H

among others.......

[jjimbojames]

Thought Adeoye would go better than 23.42 - Turner just behind her in 23.58.

Turner not giving up on Oly selection without a fight!

[BernardII]

Sophie Hitchon put a really consistent series of throws together:

68.33, 69.48, 68.70, 69.50, 70.47, 69.88

[Geoff]

A few videos of the best Brits:

Steve Lewis (5.72)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rokUi3yPAoI

Mark Dry (74.37)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Adjc1keNcDo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5dUCoNcnAM

Sophie Hitchon (70.47)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HX-W-_lz ... kO4r7aIjY=

I'm sure more will appear over the nest few days.

[bevone]

I dont want to put a hex on Lawrence Okoye but I think he is worth a flutter at the OG for a medal - outside chance maybe but he is getting better and he has a simple technique. He has comoetetd well at the big meets and taken a few good scalps recently and has that ignorance of youth that fears nothing!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What are his odds? It is obvious he wll be a speical talent if he stays in the sport!

[Damocles]

I reckon that everyone needs to look at the clips of Dry and Hitcheon again. It can easily be seen, more so in the Dry clips that the cage flap is not in position as required by rules. IAAF in this case. It is not a little out, the flap is swung fully back and out of the way leaving the sector fully open. Thr rules require that the flap, for right handers is placed in a position parallel to the centre line of the sector for the Left side flap. This would normally put the flap well inside the sector line? the cage has flaps at Mt SAC so why were they not used because as it stands this is a void competition and the results are tainted. UKA staff can be seen around the area in the full videos, so why did they not ensure that the flap was set as per the rules and made the competition legal? A competition with the cage like that would not be allowed by UK officials, so it is only fair that all our contenders throw in similar, legal conditions. I suggest that the clips are shown to the top officials and their comment be sought. AW, as the voice of our sport should launched some investigations as well....?

These throws are not legal...

[Geoff]

A good spot Damocles and quite right about the hammer gate. It will be a shame if these marks are disallowed but I can't see how they can be accepted. It makes a mockery of not allowing many UK competitions for UKA qualifying standards. It will be interesting to see what happens but I'm sure both can throw further this summer.

[paul]

Hmmm. It seems I might have been premature in adding NR to Sophie's throw
in the thread title.
But it is still showing top of the AT list on PoT without any caveat,
so I'm not going to compound my flightiness by removing it yet.

(And what a fantastic series it was. I'll be frankly very disappointed if she doesn't
throw still further in the summer anyway.)

[Ursus]

(And what a fantastic series it was. I'll be frankly very disappointed if she doesn't
throw still further in the summer anyway.)

Absolutely.

Hopefully the cage issue is a trick of the camera somehow. I can't believe the officials at such a meet would miss that. And even if they did, I'd like to think that the athletes might have noticed.....

[Geoff]

IAAF rule regarding hammer cage:

All hammer throws shall be made from an enclosure or cage to ensure
the safety of spectators, officials and athletes. The cage specified in
this Rule is intended for use when the event takes place in the arena
with other events taking place at the same time or when the event
takes place outside the arena with spectators present. Where this does
not apply, and especially in training areas, a much simpler
construction may be satisfactory. Advice is available on request from
national organisations or from the IAAF Office.

I wonder if the Americans interpret this as allowing this particular facility, which is not in the stadium, as not necessarily requiring a hammer gate?

[javman]

Having spoken to Mark D, the cage was outside the arena and free of any other competition area and spectators were behind the cage - does this mean that the IAAF remark by Geoff remains and the marks stand - quite possibly.

[Damocles]

Any competition in the UK, inside a stadium or outwith, would only be held in a complient cage, with the flap set as per the rules. Our officials wouldn't allow it any other way.

The cage at Mt SAC has flaps, so they should have been used. If not why supply one with plaps if the situation doesn't demand it?

But..

Until the BUCS, with some restricted guest places, the first time that throwers can obtain an olympic/European qualifying mark on home soil that will count, with be the Loughborough International on May 20th. So six weeks of qualifying time has been denied to athletes, as competitions in this country are not eligible, as the facilities may be sub standard, we can't trust our officials, or we just cheat. If Alex Smith throws a UK Record over the next few weeks, it will count as a record, but not for the olympics.

Yet here we have an event accredited as OK, is the USA were the rules have not been followed and all is OK????? Who allowed such a competition to run after many thousands of pounds were paid by UKA to take athletes there.

If these marks stands it will be a travesty and how well will these athletes fair at the Trials. Where the flaps will be in place and the claustrophobic effects of that, added to throwing uphill will face them?

Mt SAC can only now, with the proven misalignment of the flaps be classed as a training competition. I feel for the Brits who may lose their marks because of this.

The organisers and UKA support staff there, should hang their heads in shame at this and apologise to all the athletes there, whose marks are now tainted by their laxness.