Herne Hill Harriers round-up: Katie Snowden kicks off her season with third in stellar 1,500m to top British women’s rankings

Herne Hill Harriers’ Tokyo Olympian Katie Snowden kicked off her season last weekend in California and placed third in a stellar women’s 1,500m race at the Sound Running Track Meet at San Juan Capistrano, writes Geoff Jerwood.

Snowden, in her first track race since last September’s Diamond League Final, clocked a World Athletics Championship qualifying standard of 4:03.90, her fastest ever season opener.

It puts her top of the early season British women’s rankings. As well as beating the standard for the Worlds in Oregon, her performance is also a qualifying mark for the European Athletics Championship in Munich and the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. All of these events take place later this summer and teams are subject to selection.

Snowden found herself boxed in until beyond the bell for the final lap, but as the race wound up her final 800m was covered in 2:06 and her last lap in 60.4. These lap time splits were as fast as anyone in the race as she produced a strong finish to move through from the pack.

Now returning home to London after a couple of months training at altitude in Flagstaff, Arizona, Snowden’s next race will be at the Birmingham Diamond League on May 21.

The club’s senior men and women placed fourth in the first National Athletics League fixture of the season at the Weir Archer Stadium at Kingsmeadow on Saturday.

The league has returned to a national basis and eight teams per match after the smaller, more local versions with only four teams during the Covid restrictions.

There were a number of gaps on the Herne Hill teamsheet.

Daniel Ryan was the top individual contributor as he contested five events and won three of these. Ryan won the discus (42.14m), then the 110m hurdles (15.0) and the shot (13.44m). He went on to place fourth in the javelin (41.60m) and ran second leg in the Harriers 4x400m second-placed relay team.

Herne Hill’s women won the 4x100m relay. Saskia King, Maleeka Taylor, Jaydine Robinson and Niyah Costley combined to record 48.1. Although racing in a senior league, the quartet are all still under 20 and their winning time constitutes a new club U20 women’s record for the sprint relay.

Julia Wedmore competed in five events as she added 400m hurdles, discus and javelin to her more usual 3,000m (third B string in 11:19.5) and 1,500m (third B in 5:29.7). Fiona de Mauny’s 3,000m (third A string in 10:29.6) and 400m (seventh A string in 66.7) was also an unusual combination.

Isaac Ogunlade was the other individual event winner as he won the 400m hurdles (54.7). The 4x400m relay team of Adam Thompson, Ryan, Tyson Oladokun and Ogunlade were second.

Keeran Sriskandarajah (U17) clocked 1:57.6 and Noah Armitage-Hookes 1:58.5 to finish fifth and third respectively in the A and B 800m.

Mike Cummings (3:59.8) was fourth in the 1,500m A string and Dan Shaw (4:02.7) was second B.

Lewis Laylee ran 14:50.5 for second in the A string 5,000m with Jack Brotchie also second B runner with 15:53.0. Jeff Cunningham and Tony Macdowall were third in the A and second in the B in the 3,000m steeplechase in 10:33.7 and 11:44.9.

The women’s team welcomed new members in Zara Acton and Gabriella Thoburn. Acton placed fourth in the discus with a PB (39.12m) then followed up with second in the shot (11.86m). Thoburn finished fourth in the high jump (1.55m). Jenny Nandi made her track team debut running her first 1,500m race since school – she was sixth in the A string (5:12.8).

The club’s combined U13 and U15 boys and girls team were overall winners in their opening UK Youth Development League match at Bedford.