Hercules Wimbledon AC round-up: Miller boosts hopes of World Junior Championship spot

BY TOM POLLAK

Chad Miller strengthened his chances of representing Britain in next month’s IAAF World Junior Championships with some fine sprinting at the Memorial Leon Buyle international meeting in Oordegem, Belgium, on Saturday.

Miller won his first 100 metres race in a personal best of 10.54 seconds into a slight 0.3 metres-per-second headwind. He then went even faster with 10.43 in finishing third in his second race over the distance with a slight 0.6 metres-per-second tailwind.

His times improved on his previous best of 10.62 seconds at Plaistow in May but, more significantly, his 10.43 was inside the IAAF World junior championships qualifying time set by the British team selectors of 10.45, and ranks him second among UK juniors this summer.

The 18-year-old also posted a PB 200m time of 21.01 in winning his race over the longer sprint distance with a slight tailwind of 0.6 metres-per-second, just one-hundredths of a second outside the qualifying time set by the selectors.

It improved on his 21.17 achieved at last month’s Loughborough international meeting and is the third fastest by a British junior this summer. The IAAF World Junior Championships are being held in Tampere, Finland, from July 10-15.

“He’s up for running some really good times in the world championships,” said dad Paul, Hercules Wimbledon’s top sprint coach. “I’m hoping the selectors will pick him for both sprints.”

Hercules Wimbledon’s oldest active athlete John Webster, 79 at the end of the month, picked up pole vault, shot, discus, hammer, heavy weight and javelin men’s over-75 gold medals at the Surrey Masters Championships at Ewell Court on Sunday. The 11-strong Hercules Wimbledon contingent won a total of 24 medals.

Anna Garner gained a hat-trick taking the over-60 200m, 800m and 1,500m, where she broke the championship record with a winning time of 5:47.55.

Lisa Thomas gained a double in the over-50 400m and 800m. Husband and wife Dominic and Emilie Bokor-Ingram achieved a family hat-trick taking the men’s over-50 100m and 200m and women’s 100m.

Dominic also broke the championship record in the 200m with 24.39. Other winners were Matt de Freitas (over-45 1500m), Richard Clark (over-60 800m and 1,500m), Martin O’Halloran (over-60 5,000m) and Paul Wignall (over-65 100m and 200m).

Fifteen Hercules Wimbledon girls, led by their coach Anne Hegvold, posted 34 personal bests at the BDO Games Young Athletes meeting in Trondheim, Norway.

Anna Barker won the year-12 600m in a lifetime best of 1:56.60 while Lulu Weisz took the year-13 race in a PB of 1:46.22. Rebekah Riches took the year-15 800m with Georgina Clarke second.

More than 30 Hercules Wimbledon runners were competing in parkrun events. Teenager Ellen Weir was first female finisher in the Roosevelt Island event in Arlington USA in 21:23 while her dad Andy was men’s winner in 18:09.

Adam Harwood headed home 18 Hercules Wimbledon runners on Wimbledon Common, finishing second in 18:09, with teenager Hector Revill clocking a personal best of 18:12 in finishing fourth.