Bank holiday weekend update

The bank holiday saw some great performances with Daniel Rowden moving to the top of the 800m rankings. Callum Wilkinson walked an incredible sub 40-minute 10k in Dublin to break a 31 year-old UK record.

In the Folksam Grand Prix in Gothenburg, Daniel Rowden (handicap 0.3) notched the fastest men’s 800m time in the country this year and the fifth fastest globally with a measured run to win the Folksam Grand Prix in a personal best 1:44.74.

Rowden attacked the race hard and at the bell was perfectly poised, before kicking away off the final bend to break the arena record, and lower his own personal best by 0.23s. European Under-23 Championship 1500m silver medallist Piers Copeland (handicap-6.2) knocked almost a second off his 800m PB as he took third in 1:46.24, with Guy Learmonth (handicap -6.2) sixth in 1:46.32

Reigning British Indoor 800m champion Keely Hodgkinson (handicap -1.2) lowered her personal best once again to 2:01.78 as she went toe-to-toe with world silver medallist Raevyn Rodgers.

Hodgkinson sat at the head of the chasing pack as the field took the bell, moving up to third position with just over 200m remaining before kicking to the front. In a sprint finish, it was Rodgers who took the spoils in 2:01.24, with the Leigh athlete second in the fifth-fastest outdoor time by a British Under-20 athlete. European indoor 800m finalist Mari Smith (handicap-0.7) took seventh in 2:05.65.

Melissa Courtney-Bryant (handicap -2.0) won the women’s 1500m in 4:05.07 with Katie Snowden (handicap 1.9) third in 4:09.63 and Rosie Clarke (handicap -0.1) seventh in 4:11.42.

Jonny Davies (handicap -5.8) ran his season opener with 13:31.24 for ninth place in the 5000m final.

At the Irish Life Health Senior Championships in Dublin, Callum Wilkinson was in record-breaking form as he smashed the British 10,000m race walk record at the Irish Championships, breaking Ian McCombie’s 31-year record with a 39:52.05 clocking. Wilkinson dominated from start to finish and improved his own personal best, taking more than 30-seconds off his previous 10,000m track best and slicing more than 14 seconds off the previous record as he moved to the top of the all-time British rankings. 

The BMC Gold Standard at Lee Valley, saw Elliot Giles (handicap-6.3) showcase his potential over 1500m with a season’s best 3:41.29. Giles and reigning indoor 1500m champion George Mills (handicap -5.8 ) went toe-to-toe for much of the race, but Giles held on to pip Mills by 0.21s.

In the women’s equivalent, Adelle Tracey (handicap -2.1) was just outside her personal bet with an effectively solo 1500m run, securing victory in 4:12.62, winning by almost five seconds from Beth Kidger (handicap -0.2).

In Decines Charpieu, France, Aimee Pratt (handicap -0.2) ran her first 3000m steeplechase of the year and clocked a personal best and world lead of 9:35.11 to take a 10-second victory. Pratt’s performance moves her to sixth on the British all-time list as she took over three seconds off her previous best.