by Stuart Weir
Stuart Weir wrote this piece on INIT MEETING Karlsruhe in Germany, one of the gold-level meetings of the World Athletics Indoor Tour for 2023. Stuart Weir wrote this piece on the performances of the British athletes.
Brits in action
There were several British athletes in action over the weekend as the indoor series got underway.
Jeremiah Azu, just 21, showed his potential last year by winning the British championship 100m with a windy 9.90. He followed that by taking a bronze medal at the European Championship in 10.13. At the end of the season, he took a big decision, to leave his native Cardiff and relocate to Italy to work with coach Marco Airale who has a growing group of British sprinters including Darryl Neita, Ama Pipi, and Adam Gemili.
Last weekend he won the 60m at the ISTAF Indoor in Düsseldorf, Germany running 6.65 in the prelim and 6.60 in the final. He said afterward: “I love it here, it is my first time in Dusseldorf. The time is amazing, and the track is fast. I will be back in two weeks in Berlin. Honestly, I love it in Germany. Every time I come here I have great results. It is quite amazing, the times are always fast. The presentation and the music, I think made a difference for me. Once I had the attention, the lights, and the music, that´s when I get into mode as a competitor. I love to compete. I love to have races like that. I am training now with Marco Airale in Padova, Italy since October. We have been working on some stuff. I will be at ISTAF Indoor, Berlin, I want to go even faster there, this was ISTAF’s first one, new environment, so I take that. With 6.60s I am not in a bad place to start the season. I think there is soon a PB in there. I am in good shape, and I have been training well. I am happy about what I am doing and I think that is the most important thing. I take everything one by one”.
Keely Hodgkinson made a strong statement in her first race of the season, breaking the world indoor 600m best – a rarely run distance, of course – with a 1:23.41 run at the World Athletics Indoor Tour Bronze meeting in Manchester, UK.
Dina Asher-Smith won the women’s 60m eight a British record time of 7.04 in Karlsruhe. See separate article.
Jazmin Sawyers made a confident start to the season, jumping 6.50 in Düsseldorf to take second place behind the legendary Malaika Mihambo.
Also in Karlsruhe Alex Haydock-Wilson, who took a surprise bronze medal at last year’s European outdoors, came fourth in the 400m. Daryll Nieta ran 7.16 for fourth behind Dina Asher-Smith. Jemma Reekie was fifth in the 800, in 2.02.1.
One disturbing story is that Asha Philip was disqualified for a false start in both the German meets, causing Morolake Akinosun to tweet: “I personally think something was slightly off with the starting blocks. If that’s not the case, the rule DEFINITELY needs to be re-evaluated.”
The start which saw 🇬🇧Asha Philip DQed at the #WorldIndoorTour in Berlinpic.twitter.com/oicqpDm3CR
— Travis Miller (@travismillerx13) January 30, 2023
Remember Devon Allen – now pursuing a Super Bowl with the Eagles – and his Oregon experience?
See https://www.runblogrun.com/2022/07/oregon-22-world-athletics-champs-false-starts-reconsidered.html
