Solely the host nation, United States, gained extra medals than the GB & NI crew on the occasion in Gainesville
The World Masters Indoor Championships (additionally that includes outside throws, cross nation and a highway 10km and walks) was an enormous success.
An excellent proportion of the world’s high masters athletes gathered in a largely very sunny Florida and there was nice competitors in a really nicely organised and pleasant ambiance.
It had a wonderful area on the Alachua County Sports activities and Occasions Centre and other than the absence of a correct heat up space (and out of doors the stadium it was usually too sizzling) the services have been glorious.
There was an out of doors space to heat up the place essentially the most notable factor was a lake beside the dash straight which had a resident alligator!
After all the Championships will not be all the time one of the best masters athletes however one of the best that may afford to journey to it and a few of the youthful age teams will not be all the time true world championships with many in these age brackets unable to journey around the globe with work and younger household commitments.
Whereas some occasions are unimaginable normal (the V50-V60 occasions notably) some will not be.
For instance, the 10km have crew occasions and I discovered it it’s attainable to win a crew medal regardless of operating 23 minutes outdoors my PB with a foul knee resulting from different travelling nations not having enough athletes to finish a crew, however it is without doubt one of the most satisfying medals I’ll ever get.
USA predictably topped the medal tables. The hosts all the time have a bonus and with the USA being the highest athletics nation on the planet it wasn’t stunning they picked up 185 golds and 557 medals with eight instances as many athletes as their nearest rivals with 1457 opponents.
Britain with 181 contributors received 42 golds and 93 medals which is a greater ratio per athlete than the USA.
Germany (29 golds and 70 medals) and Canada (24 and 67) have been one of the best of the remaining.
It’s notable that some international locations resembling USA and Kenya reward their medal profitable athletes with monetary rewards and many countries at the least give out nationwide equipment without cost and the athletes get good assist from their nationwide our bodies.
That definitely isn’t the case within the UK with British Athletics displaying little curiosity in Masters Athletics although at the least their head Jack Buckner did share some AW experiences of the occasion.
Six of the seven 1500m champions
Most athletes spent many hundreds on journey, lodge, entries and meals.
Whereas there was good assist from overseas, because of the distance away and value European numbers have been down on regular however that was largely made up by the a lot greater quantity from North, Central and South America.
Whereas I’ve been fortunate sufficient to be paid to go to Olympics, World Championships, European Championships, World and European Indoor Championships and Commonwealth Video games considered one of my favorite athletics events is to be at a masters championships the place you get a hour or so of 1 closing after one other from the oldest at M90 to the youngest at M35 and W35.
It’s the one time within the area of some hours you may see seven British 1500m wins as occurred on the masters equal of Tremendous Saturday.
The competitors is intense regardless of the age teams however the amazement in seeing the velocity of a few of the older athletes is awe inspiring.
W60 4x200m profitable crew – Virginia Mitchell, Angela Bryant Alison Collins and Julie Hicken
As a result of the UK numbers have been down on regular, there appeared to be a wonderful and extra cosy crew ambiance and far of that should go right down to the very good crew managers and physio workers.
Former world 1500m champion Dean Richardson and sprinter Stuart Lynn have been all the time cheerful and athlete centred and supplied a distinction from considered one of my earlier encounters again in 2001 in Australia with a crew supervisor who put in a protest to try to disqualify a British crew gold as an athlete had moved down an age group to strengthen a crew with out his say so whereas he was at a distinct venue!
British gold medallists
British center distance runners have been one of the best on the planet in Florida though they have been lacking two of essentially the most frequent report setters within the final 12 months in Andrew Ridley and Rob McHarg.
An watcher was 1992 Olympic 800m champion William Tanui of Kenya who has youngsters learning in England and he remarked how sturdy Britain have been within the center distances.
William Tanui with British athletes
Clare Elms, Sarah Roberts, Ellie Stevens, Dave Clarke Zoe Doyle, Mark Symes and Kojo Kyereme all pulled off at the least doubles inside the 800m, 1500m and 3000m classes with Roberts, Clarke and Roberts pulling off triples whereas Elms additionally gained a gold at cross-country as an alternative of specializing in the 800m whereas Roberts added a 400m title.
Courtesy of additional crew golds, Elms was essentially the most profitable with six together with her greatest problem survived an early visa scare in being refused a flight by British Airways getting her date of beginning flawed.
A same-day 10km and 1500m double (additionally achieved by Stevens) examined her endurance and she or he virtually forsaked the 10km to aim to enhance her world report at 1500m as she felt the monitor was very quick after going shut at 3000m.
Clare Elms with medals and miniature alligators
Roberts did set a W75 world report at 3000m and in addition bettered the W70 report too and was usually sooner than youthful age teams and even the identical M75 age group.
Britain have been means down on their typical medal profitable capability within the sprints with the overwhelming majority of massive hitters staying away they usually didn’t win a single 60m or 200m gold which I can by no means beforehand recall.
The Heathrow hearth additionally price us a couple of medals with some lacking their occasions.
Suzanne Clever gained a discipline gold double as did Sprint Newington who gained the W40 excessive leap and pole vault.
Suzanne Clever
Newington additionally picked up a W35 walks crew gold and gained medals within the pentathlon, triple and lengthy leap and 4x200m for seven medals.
She was additionally fifth in her particular person stroll and seventh within the weight however didn’t discover time or the practicality to compete in six occasions she entered (hurdles, 3000 stroll, shot, discus, hammer and javelin) which was a substantial price at $40 per entry!
6 Clare Elms (4 particular person – W60 1500m, 3000m, 10km, 8km cross nation) plus cross nation and 10km crew
4 Sarah Roberts (W75 400m, 800m, 1500m, 3000m)
4 Ellie Stevens (W40 800m, 1500m, 3000m, 10km)
3 Dave Clarke (M65 800m, 1500m, 3000m)
3 Sue McDonald (1 particular person – 10km plus cross nation and 10km crew)
3 Sprint Newington (2 particular person – W40 excessive leap and pole vault plus W35 10km stroll crew)
2 Kojo Kyereme (M50 800m, 1500m)
2 Zoe Doyle (W45 800m, 1500m)
2 Mark Symes (M55 800m, 1500m)
2 Susan Payne (W65 3000m and 10km stroll)
2 Richard White (M65 400m and 4×200)
2 Suzanne Clever (W35 Hammer and weight)
2 Fiona Usher no particular person, crew (W55 10km and cross nation)
1 David Proctor (M35 3000)
1 Joe Appiah (M50 60H)
1 Allison Wilder (W35 TJ)
1 John Moreland (M65 DT)
1 Irie Hill (W55 PV)
1 Ron Cattle (M75 10km)
1 Clare Gratrix (W45 HJ)
1 Michael Hausler (M65 shot)
1 Andrea Jenkins (W45 hammer)
1 Paula Williams (W50 shot)
1 Steve Macauley (M50 SP)
1 Paul Ogun (M35 LJ)
1 W55 crew XC (Elms, McDonald, Fiona Usher)
1 W55 crew 10km (Elms, McDonald, Usher)
1 M60 4×200 (Wole Odele, Anthony Burniston, Pat Logan, Don Brown)
1 M65 4×200 (Phil Clayton, Adrian Day, White, Tennyson James)
1 W60 4×200 (Julie Hicken, Alison Collins, Angela Bryant, Virginia Mitchell)
1 W35 crew stroll (Aleksandra Najewska-Ani, Carolyn Derbyshire, Newington)
Kojo Kyereme leads the M50 1500m
World data
Successful golds take precedence over report setting in a Championships and plenty of athletes clearly in report breaking type settled for gold resembling Kyereme, Clarke and Elms however there have been nonetheless plenty of data.
Jean-Louis Esnault was my choose of the athletes as he set world data within the 400m, 1500m and 3000m.
He additionally gained gold at 200m, 800m, 60m hurdles however he was surprisingly crushed on the cross-country.
Males
1500m M85 Jean-Louis Esnault FRA 6:08.47
1500m M90 Radnaa Tseren MGL 7:55.12
200m M90 Radnaa Tseren MGL 37.12
3000m M50 Francis Bowen Kipkoech KEN 8:36.23
3000m M85 Jean-Louis Esnault FRA 13:39.24
3000W M50 Erick Maugo Sikuku KEN 12:34.20
400m M60 Roland Groger GER 55.35
400m M85 Jean-Louis Esnault FRA 77.69
60m M80 Kenton Brown USA 8.76
60H M70 Ward Hazen CAN 9.37
TJ M55 Salem Alahmadi KSA 13.66
Ladies
200m W65 Marie-Lande Mathieu PUR 29.40
200m W70 Wendy Alexis CAN 30.33
200m W80 Carol LaFayette-Boyd CAN 35.51
400m W50 Helen Hermundstad SWE 58.64
400m W55 Janelle Delaney AUS 59.66
400m W60 Edel Maguire IRL 66.94
3000m W70 Nora Cary USA 12:24.36
3000m W75 Sarah Roberts GBR 12:28.82
60H W90 Florence Meiler USA 23.62
HT W60 Claudine Cacaut FRA 47.19
HJ W90 Florence Meiler USA 0.90
LJ W60 Neringa Jakstiene USA 4.77
Pen W90 Florence Meiler USA 2531
WT W75 Myrle Mensey USA 16.82
Greatest races
It isn’t all the time nearly gold medals and a few of my favorite performances have been non profitable ones.
Chris Loudon gained a M40 silver within the 800m silver besting his PB set within the warmth.
One other championships debutante David Williams ran an excellent courageous race within the M60 1500m and held on for silver behind British-born Canadian Simon Rayner.
The previous Hercules Wimbledon athlete additionally gained gold for Canada in what I believed was essentially the most thrilling race of the championships the M60 800m the place he received dwelling by a hundredth of a second.
The highest quality races have been the M50 800m and 1500m each gained by Kyereme.
Within the 800m he simply received spherical American Mark Williams within the straight.
Within the 1500m he produced a surprising burst 300m out and was chased dwelling by Eire’s Conor Curran and Williams and Kenyan Francis Bowen Kipkoech who had set a world report 8:36.23 within the 3000m was out of the medals.
Essentially the most watched AW video of the Championships was M80 Michael Kiely’s 800m victory. That has chalked up over 280,000 views and even made an look on Good Morning Eire. It virtually didn’t occur as I virtually received no footage as I used to be behind a really excited daughter who I may hardly ask to maneuver!
It’s gold for Eire on the World Masters Championships 🇮🇪
Michael Kiely wins the M80 800m title with 3:09.35 in Florida 🏃♂️ pic.twitter.com/26wMFNlNAQ
— AW (@AthleticsWeekly) March 24, 2025
Eire liked their successes and their winners resembling Edel Maguire, Joe Gough (his movies all the time get nice responses resulting from his unimaginable end velocity) and Eileen Kenny get much better nationwide protection than the UK ever present.
Sadly there was no stay feed of the occasions however it’s hoped the subsequent version in two years in Daegu will get higher protection.
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