Herne Hill Harriers round-up: Katie Snowden selected to represent England at Commonwealth Games

Balham’s Katie Snowden has been selected to represent Team England at the Commonwealth Games to be held in Birmingham later this summer, writes Geoff Jerwood.

England Athletics named a squad of about 70 athletes to compete in the newly revamped Alexander Stadium, with the Herne Hill Harrier included in the women’s 1500m.

The heats are scheduled for Friday, August 5 with the final two days later.

Although Snowden had run times inside the qualifying standard for the event on half a dozen occasions last year, there was also priority given to athletes who ran faster than 4:07.00 this year before the selection deadline in mid- June.

Snowden’s season opener in California in May of 4:03.90 saw her top the British rankings for a couple of weeks and this was backed up by a time of 4:06.08 in Sweden on the final day of the qualification period.

This is a busy championship year for current and aspiring senior international athletes as before the Birmingham games there will be the World Athletics Championship from July 15 in Eugene, Oregon.

The Team GB World Trials will be held at this coming weekend’s Muller UK Athletics Championship in Manchester, from which Snowden will also hope she can achieve team selection.

Herne Hill’s former World Junior Championship 100m medallist Kristal Awuah has been omitted from the England team.

Awuah had a strong case for inclusion in the 4x100m sprint relay squad based on her performances in the last two seasons and has a current top five ranking in her event this year.

Awuah will now be all the more keen to gain selection for the Worlds at this weekend’s trials meet and perhaps also looking to make a belated point to the England team selectors.

Other Herne Hill athletes due to compete in Manchester are Michael Miller and Niyah Costley, in the men’s and women’s 100m respectively, Arlo Ludewick in the men’s 1,500m and Isaac Ogunlade in the men’s 400m hurdles.

Another Herne Hill club senior record was set at the South of England Championship on Saturday , following two at the Watford BMC Grand Prix seven days earlier.

As with the previous weekend’s new record holders, Lily Newton is also in her first year in the U23 age group, but was also set while competing in senior competition.

She produced a superb silver medal-winning performance in the 3,000m steeplechase (11.34.67) in her debut at this longer race distance.

Newton’s father Keith, a former Harriers club president, has overseen her technical training sessions over the barriers and they celebrate a unique stat within the club that both father (M40) and daughter (senior women) now hold club records simultaneously in the same event.

Other Herne Hill athletes competing at Chelmsford included Myles Copeland, who placed fourth in the U20 men’s 100m final (10.81). Jeff Cunningham clocked 16:03.03 for eighth in the senior men’s 5,000m race.

With the English Schools Championship coming in early July, some newly announced additions to the London Schools team from Herne Hill in the second wave of team selections include Alex Wilson, Solomon Thompson Moodley, Sheriff Silly, Orla Wright and Mine Ebriku, with Zac Crowther a named reserve at this stage.