Another extraordinary day for Great Britain at the European Masters Championships in Madeira, overtaking Germany in the medal table.
On day four of the European Masters Championships (October 12), Britain’s 1,500m runners surpassed the previous day’s 400m runners’ haul, winning a staggering nine golds in the discipline.
Golds went to Chris Loudon, Ellie Stevens, Paul Grange, Dean Richardson, Andrew Ridley, Jed Turner, Anna Garnier, Colin Spivey and Sarah Roberts. Along with golds in throws (Jo Rowland, Evaun Williams and Rachel Wilcockson), multiple events (Rowland) and cross country (Betty Stracey and team), Great Britain overtook Germany to top the medals table. Great Britain has 37 golds, 29 silvers and 24 bronzes, compared to Germany’s 33, 35, 26, with France now a distant third (24, 19, 22).
Loudon, who won world indoor medals in March in both the 800 and 3,000 meters, this time focused on the 1,500 meters and triumphed by two seconds in 4:01.67, beating France’s Olivier Galon. Great Britain had five of the top nine and Michael Holness was best of the rest in sixth place in 4:08.20.
Multi-time 10,000m indoor world champion Stevens also won the W40. The American runner triumphed with a time of 4:33.19 over her teammate Laura Haggarty (4:41.01) and Alexis Dodd fifth with 4:53.60.
Great Britain also won gold in the M45 through Paul Grange, who was making his international masters debut. A safe race and a good finish allowed him to take the victory with a time of 4:06.62 against the Italian Francesco Nadalutti (4:08.19).
2019/2023 World Indoor Champion Dean Richardson, who was team manager in Florida, focused on competition this time and won gold in the M50. He set a time of 4:07.51 and took victory from the Spanish Víctor Martínez (4:10.01) with Les Newell fifth with 4:21.71.
There was a double in the M60 race as world champion and outdoor world record holder Andrew Ridley edged out world indoor champion Rob McHarg – the respective times were 4:35.75 to 4:37.83.
A gold in the M65 race looked likely, with most eyes on either world indoor 800m, 1,500m and 3,000m champion Dave Clarke or European indoor champion John Thomson. Clarke had to withdraw due to a severe hamstring pull while fighting for a medal and Thomson looked set to win gold, but a late kick from Jed Turner gave him a surprise victory in 4:56.78 to Thomson’s 4:57.12. In the previous championship held in Pescara two years ago, Turner had not been able to reach the final in either the 400 or the 800 meters.
Anna Garnier, the 70-mile world record holder and 2022 W65 world champion, won a slow tactical race in 6:48.65. Former Briton and former champion Alison Bourgeois was second in 6:51.86 in the colors of Switzerland. Lynn Jenkins, who ran cross country earlier in the day, took bronze in 7:04.77.
Sarah Roberts had also run cross-country and after second places there and in the 400m, she won the gold medal again with a time of 6:21.83, with her cross-country gold medal-winning teammates Anne Dockery third in 7:05.29 and Carolyn Gale fifth in 7:25.29.
Following his gold in the 400 meters, Colin Spivey won the M90 1,500 meters in 8:50.36. World champion Mark Symes controlled the M55 race, but could not withstand the strong kick of Dutchman Andrew Larsen, who won in 4:14.80 to Symes’ 4:17.04, but his time was a British outdoor record, surpassing his world title win of 4:17.45 last year.
Former British senior 10,000 meters champion and defending champion Jill Harrison finished second in 5:47.34 behind Sweden’s Karin Wahlstedt (5:33.06).
Betty Stracey was second in the 1500m W85 in 10:50.18, behind Ireland’s Ann Woodlock (9:49.04), having won cross-country gold in the morning.
Kat Sutton missed out on 1500m W35 bronze by five thousandths of a second with a time of 5:04.08 as eight meters covered the leading quartet.
Elke Hausler (5:35.46) placed fourth in the W60 race, just behind Austrian bronze medalist Sabine Hofer, who a few hours earlier had won gold in cross-country. The race was easily won by Irish world champion Anne Gilshinan, who was close to the world record. His 4:57.93 gave him a 33-second victory.
Ireland was expected to win the M70 race, but multi-time champion Joe Gough was led by Peteris Arents in 5:22.15. Dave Bedwell was fifth in 5:38.43.
Anna Critchlow was fourth in the W55 in 5:23.14 and Caroline Hale sixth (5:42.56), while Sweden’s Marie Dasler led the race in 5:07.08. Sarah Swift was fifth in the W50 race in 5:20.48.
Although scheduled for Saturday, the W35 hammer was not completed until after 4am World masters runner-up Rachel Wilcockson won gold with 55.97m backed by two further 55m throws.
She won by 11 meters and her British teammates Caroline Holdsworth (40.79m) and Suzanna Wise (40.25m) were also fifth and sixth.
In the W40 hammer event, which also finished a day late, Joanne John (48.52m) took bronze and Ireland’s Rachel Aker (54.04m) took gold.
The firing of the W35 occurred just a few hours after the hammer in another stadium. Jo Rowland, making her Masters debut this year, won with a throw of 13.54m from Germany’s Sandra Buttner (12.00m) with sleep-deprived Holdsworth (11.32m) and Wise (8.99m) third and sixth.
Rowland won her second gold of the day in the heptathlon, winning by 269 points with a score of 5120. Her marks were 15.44 in the hurdles, 1.59 m in the high jump, 13.32 m in the shot, 27.16 m in the 200 m, 5.37 m in the long jump, 33.56 m in the javelin and 2:21.79. in the 800m. Rebecca Perry was third with 4,352 points with paces of 15.74, 1.44m, 10.46m, 24.92, 4.63m, 23.57m and 2:32.68.
Jodie Albrow won the W40 bronze with marks of 12.47, 1.41 m, 9.07 m, 29.01, 4.68 m, 31.57 m and 2:36.60 and the gold went to the French Elodie Valle (4943). Jenny O’Connor was fifth W55 (4466)
Alastair Hill was second in the Decathlon M75 with 6387 points and the gold went to the Finnish Jarmo Lipasti with 6486. Hill’s marks were 15.65 in 100 m, 3.93 m in long jump, 10.24 m in shot, 1.38 m in high jump, 80.54 in 400 m, 16.47 in 80 m fences. 29.43 m in discus, 1.80 m in pole vault, 34.15 m in javelin and 7:30.87 m in 1,500 m.
Evaun Williams won W85 gold, her fourth so far with a throw of 7.31m and one meter away from her opponents.
Claire Cameron was fourth in the W65 event with 8.94m and Caroline Marler was fifth in the W70 event with 8.01m.
The cross country races were held in the mountains, far from Funchal, at 4,000 feet altitude, due to the lack of a suitable location near or at sea level.
However, the availability of grass meant the lap was only 1km, which meant 8 laps for most competitors. This caused some problems, as did a loose herd of goats that traversed the scenic and tough course at one point.
The British team was much weaker than normal but had its successes, although the only individual gold went to W85 Betty Stracey, but there were team golds. Stracey ran 57:13 over the 6km ahead of Norway’s Eva Carlsen.
Geoff Newton (35:34) won M80 silver in the 6km race and, along with Michael Johnson and Phil Brennan, who placed in the top six, Great Britain won team gold. Viktor Kiessel of Luxembourg won the M70+ race in 26:44 while France’s Roger Godard took individual gold in the M80 in 33:51. Great Britain placed sixth in the M70 team race.
The women’s W70+ overall race was won by Ireland’s Christine Kennedy (29:54) and Dot Kesterton third in 31:59. Ireland’s Eileen Kenny (32:45) won the W75 race ahead of 10,000m champion Sarah Roberts (33:51) who was making her cross-country debut and, together with Anne Dockery who took bronze and Carolyn Gale in sixth, the British W75 team secured gold. The W70 team with Lyn Jenkins and Louise Rowley took bronze.
In the M55-65 8km race, Portugal’s Joaquín Figueiredo won by one minute in 29:36. Simon Mugglestone, who came second in the 5,000m, was fourth in the M55 and just two seconds off the medals in 30:52. Close behind came M60 10,000m champion Chris Upson (30:58), who took silver behind Ireland’s Pauric McKinney in 30:41.
Malcolm Eustace took silver in the M65 in 34:08 behind Spain’s Jesús Sacristán (32:31) and led the team to bronze. The British M55 and M60 teams were fourth and fifth respectively.
The younger men’s 8km race was dominated by Poland’s M35 Andrzej Starzynska, who won by more than a minute in 26:18. Carl Hardman was fourth M40 in 28:26, but led Great Britain to team silver with fifth M50 (29:31) as part of the team.
The women’s overall race was won by Sweden’s W35 Liduina Van Sitteren in 32:13. The leading Briton was Clare Elms W60 (36:06), who finished just ahead of W45 steeplechase medalist Jacqueline Etherington (36:08) and both won individual bronzes.
Elms had been clear in the first W60 at 6km, but feeling unwell after heat exhaustion at 10,000m and possibly altitude, she had to fall back and was overtaken by 10,000m champion Hofer. The W50 team led by Val Woodland in sixth place, took the W50 bronze.
In the M65 100m semi-finals, world record holder John Wright was easily the fastest in 12.53, while Steve Peters (13.07) and John Browne (23.20) topped the M70 field. Darren Scott (12.08) was the fastest M55. Heptathlon medalist Rebecca Perry (12.17) was fastest in W35 and Lisa Boland (12.60) topped the standings in W40. W55 Christine Harrison-Bloomfield (13.11) and W70 Helen Godsell (15.41) were also the fastest.
