Georgia Hunter Bell and Molly Caudery in advantageous shape in Birmingham as Lina Nielsen and Neil Gourley set nationwide indoor information
No Keely, no downside. The inaugural Keely Klassic didn’t characteristic the Olympic 800m champion in motion at the observe, however the tournament in Birmingham on Saturday (Feb 15) nonetheless bubbled along side quite a few top-quality occasions.
Georgia Hunter Bell narrowly neglected Laura Muir’s UK indoor 1500m file with coaching spouse Sarah Healy clocking an Irish file in 2d.
The assembly did see some British information, although, with Lina Nielsen and Neil Gourley surroundings new nationwide figures within the ladies’s 300m and males’s 1000m respectively.
Within the box, Molly Caudery confirmed encouraging shape within the pole vault with a 4.73m win forward of the Ecu and international indoor championships.
Molly Caudery (Getty)
“There are so many young people here – and especially girls – who look up to what Keely has achieved,” stated Hunter Bell. “There seemed to be more fun and a bit less pressure today, which was fun.”
At the file bid, she added: “I’m proud about how I went for it and it’s important to always try to shoot for it so it gives me confidence that I can win races when it’s scrappy like in New York (Millrose Games) and also when I front run.”
Healy stated: “It definitely felt like a good team effort and we knew we were going to push each other. I knew Georgia was going to go for the record and so I slotted in behind. I wanted to try to help out if I could but that didn’t happen although maybe another day I will.”
Georgia Hunter Bell (Getty)
Hodgkinson used to be in fact on the tournament and spent the day humming round signing autographs for the handfuls of younger Keely-ites within the target audience and cheering on her GB team-mates. Those incorporated Caudery, who cleared 4.73m to again up fresh 4.75m leads to Karlsruhe and Lievin.
The sector indoor champion retired at that top however her efficiency bodes smartly for the remainder of the season. “I missed my first two competitions this season as I was dealing with a very small hamstring thing from training in South Africa,” she stated. “But I’m really glad to clear my heights today off a short approach and I’ll go up to a full approach next week at the UK Indoor Champs.”
She added: “It’s probably been my best winter ever. Training has been amazing.”
Lina Nielsen (Getty)
Nielsen set the primary British file of the day with 36.53 within the 300m. Taking down Dina Asher-Smith’s nationwide mark of 36.77, Nielsen led Emily Newnham (36.88) and Ama Pipi (37.22) house.
“I’m just so happy I committed,” stated Nielsen. “I needed to go through 200m fast and I did. I’ve got big goals this year and that was a good start. You need a specific race plan in the 300m as you’re running up two ‘hills’ or slopes and you need to make sure you attack each of those.”
Gourley broke Charlie Grice’s UK indoor 1000m file of two:17.20 with 2:16.74 however he used to be out-kicked at the ultimate lap via Samuel Chapple, who beat Rob Druppers’ long-standing Dutch file with 2:16.09 after taking the lead thru 800m in 1:46.9. In 3rd, Alex Botterill ran 2:17.25.
“I feel like I’ve worked very hard today,” stated Gourley. “I’ve felt tired this week but was committed to giving myself this hard effort which will hopefully bring me on a bit. I have a lot of fitness behind me but not as much sharpness.”
Neil Gourley (Getty)
There used to be some other file try within the males’s 600m and a close to pass over for Callum Dodds. The objective used to be Thomas Staines’ 75.31 from 2023 however Dodds clocked 75.81.
“It was close so it’s a bit frustrating and I felt I had a bit more in the tank,” stated Dodds. “In the second half of the race I think I lost a little bit of momentum.”
It wasn’t all about British information both. With a time of one:45.78 within the 800m, the up-and-coming Justin Davies broke a Welsh file which have been held via Joe Thomas since 2012.
Justin Davies (Getty)
The ladies’s 800m used to be a moderately slower affair however received impressively via Issy Boffey as she went from final to first within the ultimate lap to win in 2:01.69 – a qualifying mark for the Ecu Indoor Championships in Apeldoorn.
Patrik Domotor beats Efe Okoro (Getty)
In other places, Patrik Domotor of the Slovak Republic – considered one of a number of world guests on the assembly – received the boys’s 400m in 46.61 forward of Efe Okoro’s 46.84.
Yoshiki Kinashi of Japan received the boys’s 60m in 6.72 with Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake runner-up in 6.66, with Mitchell-Blake later returning to win the 200m in 21.16, albeit in actually a two-man race. “I wanted more but I have to be grateful to be healthy,” stated Mitchell-Blake. “I’ve to stay grinding and notice the place it takes me.
“The 200m is my baby. The 60m, I love, but it doesn’t seem to love me. And with the 100m, we have our moments.”
Amy Hunt beats Mabel Akande (Getty)
Amy Hunt clocked 7.24 forward of the defence of her UK Champs 60m name defence subsequent weekend as Mabel Akande used to be runner-up 7.28. “I think it’s been the old Amy at these races lately and I’m waiting for the new Amy to turn up,” stated Hunt. “So it’s definitely a work in progress right now. We’re trying to piece things together and I’m racing back to back in the next three weeks now.”
Dash hurdles victories went to Rafael Pereira in 7.66 and Marika Majewska with 8.15 forward of Abigail Pawlett, the latter clocking 8.15 simply sooner or later after surroundings a British Universities Championship file of 8.11 in Sheffield.
Edson Gomes, Rafael Pereira, Callum Holder (Getty)
Within the lengthy soar, Eusebio Caceres, a former Ecu under-23 champion from Spain, received with 7.73m as Britain’s Jacob Fincham-Dukes used to be runner-up with 7.68m. “It wasn’t my best day and I really had to fight for it,” stated Fincham-Dukes.
READ MORE: Causes to be cheerful on the Keely Klassic
Hodgkinson would a lot quite were a competitor than a spectator, however stated: “When I saw the branding for the meeting, it looked so good. But I was gutted not to race, so I have mixed emotions.”
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