The British masters team had an astonishingly successful penultimate day (March 29) at the World Masters Indoor Championships in Florida as they scored 15 gold medals including a superb seven at 1500m.
Leading the way were W60 Clare Elms and W40 Ellie Stevens who won 10km titles in the morning (despite these officially being “indoor championships” there are some outdoor events too) and then 1500m titles in the afternoon and both also picked up team medals.
Stevens won the women’s race outright in 35:29 on a testing course with many sharp turns and 85 per cent humidity. She also won a W40 team silver alongside Rebecca Luxton and Rebecca Mills.
Elms took it relatively easy in the 10km as it was her first for over two years but she won clearly in 41:19 ahead of team-mate Fiona Usher (42:41).
Elms won a W55 team gold alongside Usher and clear W55 gold medallist Sue McDonald (41:06).
For the 1500m races, first off for the British team was W75 Sarah Roberts, who had gone close to the world record in the morning’s 400m heat.
Sarah Roberts and Ros Tabor
Already the winner of the 800m and 3000m, she repelled the challenge of former world record-holder Sabra Harvey of the USA with increasing her pace lap by lap over the last 1000m to win in a championships record 6:02.35, which is just four seconds outside her own world record.
It’s worth noting Roberts would have lapped every runner in the younger W70 age group and was quicker than the male winner in the M75 age group.
Ros Tabor gained her third bronze medal in 7:16.51.
W75 1500m podium with Sabra Harvey, Sarah Roberts and Ros Tabor
Elms, who had already won the cross-country, 3000m, 10km and two team golds, made it six world titles in the 1500m.
It seemed in doubt as she was limping slightly at the start and stiff from the 10km, suffering from sunburn and she was two seconds down on 800m bronze medallist Janice Patterson after 300m.
W60 1500m start
However she caught the Canadian by 500m and kicked in a fast 38.29 penultimate lap to open a gap and she won in a championship best 5:14.00 with Patterson setting a Canadian record 5:15.76 and bronze medalist Susana Tavoloni setting an Argentine best 5:33.29.
W60 1500m podium with Clare Elms (centre)
Zoe Doyle, who won W45 800m gold earlier in the championships, followed USA’s Sascha Scott until unleashing a 35.08 final circuit to win by over three seconds in 4:45.55.
Stevens was up against six Americans in her W40 final and you would never know she did a 10km in the morning as she kicked away with mid race laps of 35.67 and 35.23 and she won by eight seconds in a championships best 4:37.19 from USA’s Kirsten Rohde’s 4:45.68.
Ellie Stevens
The first British man to strike gold at 1500m was M65 David Clarke.
He followed American Daniel King until late on the final lap and then produced a vicious kick to open up a two and half second gap.
He was less than three seconds outside the world record with a 4:45.72 clocking with John Thomson third in 4:54.29.
John Thompson and David Clarke
Mark Symes, who won the 800m and was second in the 3000m, gained a clear M55 victory.
Making his move on the penultimate lap the real damage was done in a 30.45 final circuit and he set a championships best of 4:21.42 well clear of American Charles Novak who had led much of the race.
Mark Symes (centre) and the M55 1500m medallists
The final 1500m victory went to M50 800m champion Kojo Kyereme in 4:09.22.
Many were expecting 3000m champion and world record-holder Francis Bowen Kipkoech to set a furious pace but he got boxed in while Kyereme set a steady pace.
Ireland’s Conor Curran made a big move 400m out but the Brit kicked hard after holding him off to complete a 30.63 penultimate circuit and then despite slowing before the line 31.29 kept him clear of a fast finishing Curran.
Kojo Kyereme leads the M50 1500m
Mark Williams, who pushed Kyereme all the way at 800m, was a clear third as the Kenyan Kipkoech was unable to show his 27:45 10km pace in fourth.
Though it wasn’t a gold medal run, one of the best 1500m performances came from M60 David Williams.
In his first big championships, the Brit made a long run for home and ultimately only former Brit Simon Rayner was able to better him courtesy of a 31.61 last lap and a 4:46.74 time with Williams second in 4:48.57.
Ireland also scored earlier medals to Curran with Michael Kiely whose 800m win went viral taking M80 gold in 6:51.00 but there was a shock in the M70 race when Uruguay’s Omar Clok surprised defending champion Joe Gough, 5:16.37 to 5:16.50 with a strong final kick.
Joe Gough leads the M70 1500m
The only British male to strike gold in the 10km was M75 Ron Cattle. Second at cross- country and third at the 3000m, he completed the set with a 43:59 victory.
He also gained a team silver by dropping down to the M65s alongside Karl Hick and Steve Smythe.
Britain entered six teams in the 10km and all of them won medals though only the W55 scored golds.
The M60 team of Steve Watmough (fourth in 37:40) Steve Bishop and Steve Doxey finished second in a competitive age group while the M55 team of Ian Martin, Andy Murray and Rob Sargent were third while the W65 squad headed by silver medallist Marian Grace (48:24) were backed by Susan Payne and Wendy Doxey were second.
Britain continued their excellent championships on the field.
Scottish international long jumper Paul Ogun, a world outdoor silver medalist and owner of a 7.79m PB , has his first competition of the year and won 35 gold comfortably with a 6.95m leap.
Paul Ogun
Clare Gratrix won a tightly contested W45 high jump on countback with a 1.40m leap.
Dash Newington, who had already won pole vault gold and pentathlon silver and long and triple jump bronze gained her fifth individual medal with a 1.50m high jump victory.
Suzanna Wise, already champion in the weight and hammer narrowly failed to make it three golds as her 32.81m was pipped by Aussie Catherine McCowan’s 32.83m.
Three Britons made the top eight in the M65 hammer with Ray Bacon fourth inn43.86m, Discus champion John Moreland fifth in 43.22m and Andy Vince eighth with 33.85m.
Vilma Thompson was fifth in the W70 shot with a 7.39m throw.
Steve McCauley was sixth in the M50 weight with a 16.31m throw.
Barry Ferguson was seventh in the M80 long jump.
In the 1500m races other Britons to place highly were W45 Maria Shaw (fourth in 4:45.55), M55 Dave Cowlishaw (fourth in 4:26.09) and m50 Brent Brodie (5th 4:14.61).
Steve Davies was fourth in the M50 10km in 35:53.
France’s Jean-Louis Esnault won the M85 1500m in a staggering world record of 6:08.47, taking gold by over two minutes.
Radnaa Tseren of Mongolia who had already won titles at the 60m, 200m, 800m and triple jump added the 1500m with a world M90 record of 7:55.12.
Three times Olympic walker Michelle Rohl won the W55 1500m in a championships record 4:50.24 and she turns 60 later on the year.
Michelle Rohl
Dave Clark of the USA won the M40 race in a championships record 3:56.51 while Saudi Mohammad Shaween won the M35 race in a fast 3:54.74.
The USA dominated most of the 10km team events and they won the overall men’s race in 31:06 through M40 Joseph Gray.
One notable performance in the team events came from Ireland who won a W40 medal despite containing mother and daughter in W75 runner up Eileen Kenny (47:29) and W45 runner-up Michelle Kenny (39:30).
Championship records were set by W70 3000m record holder Nora Cary (43:41) and celebrated W75 Jeannie Rice (46:44) who won gold at the fourth attempt.
As they go into the final day where there are track finals in the relay, 400m and hurdles, Britain are guaranteed to finish second as their 37 golds, 20 silvers and 21 bronzes sets them well behind the hosts (136, 147, 132).
However they are easily the top overseas nation as Germany (20, 18, 15), Canada (18, 17, 14) and Australia (14, 10, 6) follow.
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