Mind over matter: Steve Peters enjoyed another successful British Masters
WITH OVER 800 entries, this event was the second biggest ever and gave the estimated 300 veterans who will travel to Perth for the World Masters Championships next month an early chance to test their fitness.
Conditions were ideal with little wind on the afternoon of the second day.
Familiar faces dominated the sprints. Steve Peters, who had recently returned from Rio with the GB taekwondo team, posted his usual treble in the M60 events. Starting with the 100m in 12.42, he followed with a 58.23 championship best in the 400m late on the first day before taking the 200m on the Sunday in a championship best 24.90. The sports psychiatrist said: “I’ve not raced this year as I partially ruptured my Achilles tendon last summer, but this was a good warm-up.”
Talking of his many British championships wins, he added: “I’ve only been beaten once over 400m in 23 years.”
Joanna Frost: 5.78m in W35 long jump
One age group down, Pat Logan, who is also a coach at Kingston & Polytechnic Harriers, built on his sprint doubles in both the British Masters Indoor Championships at Lee Valley and the European Masters Indoor Championships in Ancona, Italy, by winning the M55 100m in a wind-aided 11.80 and the 200m in 24.47.
John Pearson: CBPs in M50 hammer and weight throw
British M45 record-holder Darren Scott was a class apart in his 200m race, clocking 22.96 seconds.
W40 Diana Norman entered seven events but was prevented from competing following a serious injury a few days before. It was a similar situation for one of the more intriguing entries in the championship, that of former British senior pole vault record-holder Mike Bull. The Northern Irishman took Commonwealth pole vault and decathlon gold and came out of retirement to win the M40 pole vault in the World Masters Championships in Turku, Finland, in 1991 and now he is vaulting again. However, carrying an Achilles niggle, the 70-year-old pulled up in the warm-up here with a serious strain and was seen with an ice pack on his ankle.
Caroline Powell (770): sprints hat-trick for the W60
He is aiming to compete in the 2018 World Masters in Malaga, where he lives. His event was won by Mark Johnson with 4.20m.