by Stuart Weir
Lorraine Ugen, photo by British Athletics Collection/Getty Images
Lorraine Ugen, photo by British Athletics Collection/ Getty Images
Jazmin Sawyer, Lorraine Ugen, Jahisha Thomas, photo by British Athletics Collection/ Getty Images
This is Stuart Weir’s feature on the women’s long jump from the 2022 British Indoor Champs, which was held this weekend.
The women’s long jump promised much but did not really deliver. Women’s long jump is one of GB’s strongest disciples with two 7 meter jumpers (Lorraine Ugen and Shara Proctor) and Jazmin Sawyers not far behind with a PR of 6.90. Abigail Irozuru was a finalist at the 2021 Olympics and the 2019 Worlds. Ugen a medallist at the 2016 World Indoors.
Jazmin Sawyers, photo by British Athletics Collection/Getty Images
It has to be said that a World Championship standard of 6.80 seems much harder to attain than the requirement is several other disciplines. It didn’t help that of the 53 jumps attempted 21 were fouls. The new, all-singing, all-dancing electronic red-five and light system was working overtime! The leaders were not exempt with Ugen having three fouls out of 5 jumps and Sawyers recording 4 fouls. I remember last year Jazmin Sawyers telling me that in warm-up she has started taking a proposed jump off a full run-up so that her first competition jump feels like her second!
The top four were
Lorraine Ugen 6.75
Jahisha Thomas 6.45
Jazmin Sawyers 6.42
Abigail Irozuru 6.37
Ugen is not technically qualified for Belgrade – although it seems inconceivable that there will be enough athletes who have cleared 6.80 to exclude her. She commented: “I feel good. I needed to redeem myself from the Muller Grand Prix performance last week. I know that my runway was dodgy last weekend and this week I completed my jumps well. I’m off to Madrid tomorrow for the final continental tour gold meet and then it’s about getting a decent training block in before Serbia. There’s a rumour going around that I am injured and I am not! I’m saving my legs for three days. Then it’s preparation for Belgrade”.
Jahisha Thomas, photo by British Athletics Collection/Getty Images
Jahisha Thomas said: “It feels great but I’ve just got to keep elevating. It’s the second competition of my season so far so I’m still massaging myself before the jump. I’m happy to be back on the podium and I can only go up from here. The first round was just about getting a jump in and then it was remaining within myself and not getting carried away. I felt like the distance was medium so to say but it could have been a whole lot worse. I’m happy and healthy and got a silver so there are definitely positives. I don’t know if there’s another chance to get the world standard but you never know. I’ll be at all three championships in the summer that’s for sure!”
Jazmin Sawyers, photo by British Athletics Collection/ Getty Images
Jazmin Sawyers was honest as always: “I am very disappointed. I was really hoping that today would be the day it all came together but I was having some trouble on the board. I am not sure what it is down to – I think some of it may be down to me drifting my take-off foot and me having more energy on the runway than I had in the warm-up but I will send the videos to my coach (Lance Brauman). There is lots to work on and I have a lot of training to do before the outdoor season”.
Jazmin Sawyers, photo by British Athletics/Getty Images
