13 Feb 2014
Sports Scholars shine at Indoor Champs
A large contingent of current and former Loughborough Sports Scholars were in action this weekend at the British Athletics Indoor Championships, held at the England Institute of Sport in Sheffield.
Olympic bronze medallist and former Loughborough student Robbie Grabarz cleared 2.24m to win the high jump competition.
There was also success for JJ Jegede, who won the long jump after recording 7.85m, with current scholar Felix Massey-Curtis in third place.
Elsewhere in the field Max Eaves and Paul Walker were second and third in the men’s pole vault. Irish athlete Zoe Brown was in third place in the women’s pole vault.
On the track Loughborough graduate William Sharman finished first in a dead heat with Andrew Pozzi in the 60 metre hurdles, in a personal best time of 7.64 seconds.
He said: “I feel really good, it’s my first British indoor title and I’m pleased with that. I’m running a PB every time, so there’s plenty more to come.
“It’s promising, the indoors can only help with what you do in the outdoors. Building on this, the target is the Europeans and Commonwealths but also the World Indoors and to mix it up with the guys in Poland.”
In the men’s 400 metres Masters’ student Richard Buck claimed second place, behind Nigel Levine.
Former students Laura Wake and Meghan Beesley, who is coached by Nick Dakin, finished in second and third place in the women’s 400 metres.
Guy Learmonth and Paul Goodall both made it onto the podium in the 800 metres, finishing second and third respectively.
Elsewhere there was a new British high jump record of 1.96m from Katarina Johnson-Thompson. Speaking after breaking the record Katarina said:
“I knew I was in good form because I had a good session in Loughborough last week and had a really good high jump session. I’ve been working on things mentally because last year and the year before I knew I had a good jump in me but it’s just me against the bar.”
There were also impressive victories from sprinters James Dasaolu (60 metres) and Chris Clarke (200 metres) who are based at Loughborough in the training group headed by Steve Fudge.