Track and Field Reports and Results 2008
Indoor Invitational - 13 Feb
The RAF’s opening match of the season brought out some very strong athletes in teams such as Loughborough, Brunel and UWIC, although it seems this early-season match is viewed by the universities very much as an individual event, rather than a team competition. Some teams use it effectively as a trials event to select athletes for the BUSA Indoors, while others with less strength in depth use it as a guide to the early-season form of their best athletes.
The RAF teams were denuded of a number of athletes due to injury and operational commitments, yet the level of participation overall was still disappointing. Attendance was hampered yet again by the scheduling of the fixture immediately before the Inter-Services Cross Country Championships, however, that fact alone cannot excuse the lack of athletes in the 800m and 1500m. It does however highlight the point that the majority of the RAF’s top middle-distance track athletes are first and foremost road and cross country runners and see track as very much their third choice discipline. A strategy needs to be developed to address this area of weakness; perhaps the first being to reinvigorate the coaching co-ord role for the sprints, jumps, throws and middle-distance groups, as only 1 of these is still active.
The RAF had no shot putters involved in the competition, which highlighted the almost complete lack of heavy throws specialists in both Men’s and Women’s squads, and the consequent dependence on the multi-event athletes.
In the men’s Pole Vault, SAC Tony Higbee recorded an impressive early-season effort of 3m 80 to finish in 5th place against specialist vaulters, and Flt Lt Nav Childs jumped 6m 29 in the Long Jump to take 4th. Nav later jumped an excellent 13.73 off a short run-up to take 2nd place in the Triple Jump, missing 1st by only 5cm.
There were no RAF women in the High Jump competition, and Chf Tech Frank Chapman unfortunately no-heighted in the Men’s event.
In the 800m, Cpl Sy Wray ran a 1m 58.43 800m in a very uncompetitive race with only 3 runners, and was rightly disappointed to be drawn in such a weak field. With hindsight it would have been better for the officials and organisers to reduce the number of heats to fill the lanes and make the races more competitive.
In the women’s 800m, Sgt Heather Beattie ran a 2 min 52.70 to finish in a respectable 4th overall.
SAC Zico Grinion ran a 200m time of 24.72, which he followed later with an excellent 7.08 secs in the 60m, winning his heat by a considerable margin. In a stronger field, Cpl Stu Benson ran 1/10 sec quicker to finish in 3rd place.
In the women’s 200m, K Colgan, a new athlete to the team, finished in 6th place. With no competitors in the Women’s Long Jump or 60m, the next opportunity to gain some valuable team points fell to Cpl Laura McGawn in the 60 Metre Hurdles, which she ran in a time of 10.32 secs to finish in 4th place.
In the men’s 60m Hurdles, SAC Tony Higbee finished 3/100 of a second behind the winner in a time of 8.34 secs.
The men’s 400m saw Flt Lt Rob Barker-Davies take 5th place in a time of 54.40secs, although there were no RAF women in the 400m. However in the 1500m there were no RAF men in the starting line-up, however in the Ladies’ event L Wellings finished in 5th place in a time of 5 min 15.80.
The RAF men showed their sprint squad prowess by winning the 4 x 200m in a time of1.30.07, beating eight other teams and laying down a marker for the season. Unfortunately there were not sufficient RAF women to make a 4 x 200m team.
The final scores saw the RAF Men’s Team finish in 4th place, behind the big 3 universities (Loughborough, Brunel and UWIC), but ahead of both the Army and the Royal Navy. In the Women’s Team competition the RAF finished in 7th place overall, ahead of the Royal Navy but behind the Army.
Photos courtesy of Armada Photography
Individual Results
Team Results
Gallery
Outdoor Invitational - 26 Apr
The RAF men’s team was a mixture of experience and youth, with a number of regulars unavailable due to injury, OOA or other commitments and an unprecedented 12 athletes making their debuts in a RAF vest in this competition. The ladies’ team ……
The match started at 1030 with the men’s Pole Vault and Triple Jump. The Chairman of RAF Athletics, Gp Capt Richard Gammage (RAF Halton), set the standard for the day with a surprise victory over Cpl Alex Williams (RAF High Wycombe) in the Pole Vault, clearing a height of 3m 90 cm. Guesting for the RAF was new find AC Gavin Berry (DCAE Cosford) who cleared 3m 10, which was good enough to finish in 4th place. Shorn of all 4 of last season’s competitors, the men’s Team had no specialist jumpers for the Triple Jump, however, Cpl Craig Riley (RAF Wittering) offered his services and gained valuable points for the team.
In the women’s Long Jump, Cpl Laura McGawn (RAF Halton) achieved an early season PB of 5m 50 showing great form for the rest of the season. In the women’s Discus (Rank) Esther Sandiford threw an excellent 37m 48 on her debut in a RAF vest and will be a great asset to the team this season. In the men’s Shot Put Cpls Craig Riley and Jim Slater (RAF Waddington) threw 8m 27 and 8m 07 respectively. In the men’s Long Jump, SAC Kev Hibbins (RAF Waddington) jumped 6m 18 to come 2nd and new athlete Plt Off Tom Varty (RAF Shawbury) provided good points for the team jumping 5m 51, despite having had no preparation due to his flying training course.
Already on his third event of the day, Cpl Craig Riley showed his versatility by throwing the javelin 24m 71 to take 6th place. In the women’s High Jump SAC Caroline Livingstone (Air Comd) cleared 1m 40, before having to finish the event early to race in the 100m, where she ran 13.80 to achieve 3rd place. Fg Off Rob Barker-Davies (attached to the NHS), Cpl Jim Slater and Sgt Heather Beattie ran the 400 metre hurdles for men and women, finishing in 1st, 3rd and 2nd respectively.
Another PB for Cpl Laura McGawn came in the Shot Put, with an excellent 9m 33. The men’s 100m saw 3 athletes out of 5 representing the RAF for the first time. Cdts Martin Walker and Ben Williams (both ATC) ran times of 11.90 and 12.20 respectively. SAC Iain Ashall (RAF Coningsby) on his debut in a RAF vest ran 12.40. SAC Zico Grinion (RAF Coningsby) and Cpl Paddy Mclernon (RAF Brize Norton) ran good early-season times of 11.60 and 11.70 into a headwind.
In the women’s and men’s 800m, Fg Off Sasha Sheard ran 2:38.7 and OC Darren Tremble (DTUS Loughborough) and Cpl Dave Lemon (DCAE Cosford) took 4th and 5th place with times of 2:07.0 and 2:08.9 In the women’s 400m, SAC Caroline Livingstone (Air Comd) ran a time of 64.90 finishing in 5th place.
In the men’s High Jump, both athletes were representing the RAF team for the second time that day, Plt Off Tom Varty clearing 1m 65 and AC Gavin Berry jumping 1 m 65 to earn valuable points. Neither athlete had trained specifically for the event which suggests that there is more to come from each of them during the season.
In the women’s Javelin, Fg Off Ester Sandiford gained a respectable 5th throwing 4m 83.
In the men’s 400m, a return to the RAF team for Cpl Simon Clarke had been eagerly anticipated, and he finished strongly in first place with a time of 51.10. Newcomer LAC Rob Mackrell ran well to finish in 5th with a time of 55.70
In the 3000m ACs Billy Launder and Stephen Maclachlan (MOD St Athan) ran 10:07.3 and 10:19.3 on their debuts in RAF colours; thanks must be given to their Discip SNCO, Sgt Bob Smith, for bringing the lads from St Athan to compete. Cpl Ange Stratford (DCAE Cosford) represented the Raf and finished in 1st place with a time of 12.28.1
In the men’s discus, Cpls Jim Slater and Craig Riley had bests of 36m 41 and 21m 12, finishing in 4th and 7th place. In the men’s 110m Hurdles, Flt Lt Greg Dunson cruised to a comfortable victory in a time of 15.70 In the women’s 100m Hurdles Cpl Laura McGawn finished 2nd in a time of 16.60.
The 2000m Steeplechase saw only 2 competitors take to the track, both of them RAF athletes. Sgt Ronnie McWilliam (RAF Waddington) and OC Darren Tremble finished in times of 6:39.9 and 7:22.5, opening up a healthy lead on the Shropshire AA and British Police Men’s Teams.
SACs Zico Grinion, Cdts Martin Walker, Ben Williams and Iain Ashall competed in the men’s 200m, finishing in 23.70, 24.60, 24.90 and 24.90 respectively. In the women’s 200m Cpl Laura McGawn ran 27.00 to take 3rd place and Sgt Heather Beattie came 6th in 34.10.
The final individual track event of the day was the 1500m, with Fg Off Chris Tildesley (RAF Linton-on-Ouse) and SAC Tom Harvey (RAF Leeming) battling it out for 5th and 6th place in 4:29.2 and 5:01.9. OC John Wright (DSFC Welbeck) finished just outside the 5-minute mark and shows great promise for the future. All 3 athletes were competing on the track for the first time in RAF vests.
The match culminated in the 4 x 100m and 4 x 400 m relays. The RAF men’s team had a healthy lead, although wanted to finish the day off in style. In the 4 x 100m, SAC Zico Grinion repeated his form on the individual 100m, handing over to Cpl Paddy Mclernon with a good lead. Cpl Mclernon handed on to Cdt Martin Walker with the lead maintained, and Cdt Walker made a safe handover to SAC Kev Hibbins, who made no mistake in bringing the baton home with the team in 1st place.
In the women’s 4 x 100m the Women’s team were edged into second place behind Shropshire with a time of 56.40.
In the men’s 4 x 400m, LAC Rob Mackrell stayed in contention and finished strongly, handing over to Fg Off Rob Barker-Davies in a good position. Fg Off Barker-Davies extended the lead over the Shropshire athlete, handing over to OC Darren Tremble for the third leg. OC Trmble held off the Shropshire challenge to hand over to Cpl Simon Clarke, winner of the individual 400m, with a lead of about 5 metres, and Cpl Clarke unsurprisingly made no mistake in putting the competition beyond doubt.
In the women’s 4 x 400 m the 4 x 100m result was repeated.
The final result saw the RAF Men defeat Shropshire by 223 to 188, with the Police in 3rd place with 162 pts. Cdtr Martin Walker was asked to collect the Lifetime Vice-President’s Trophy on behalf of the rest of the team. In the women’s competition, the RAF team was beaten into second place by a very strong Shropshire AA team
Individual Results
Combined Services v Loughborough University vs Brunel - 14 May
Mens Results
Womens Results
Team Result
RAF Championships - 21 Jun
Photos
Inter Service Championships - 16 Jul
By Flt Lt Ben Trapnell
2008 saw a return to Portsmouth and the Victory Stadium for the Inter Service Track and Field Championships. Even with the ongoing Operational tempo overseas, all three teams fielded strong squads on a warm and sunny day with only light winds. The Men’s team put on a strong performance showing that they are still competitive with the Army and have huge potential for the future. The Women’s team drastically reduced the point’s gap between themselves and the Army to only 21 pts from 49 the previous year and likewise are improving year on year. Stars of the show were Cpl Laura McGawn, taking 8 Gold medals overall and Cpl Stu Benson for finally achieving the sprint double over the Army, fresh from competing in the Olympic Trials the previous week.
Sqn Ldr Adam Davies and newcomer to the team SAC Mark Firth were first on in the Hammer chasing the Army from the start and gaining valuable points. The RAFAA Chairman, leading from the front, achieved a respectable 2nd in the Pole Vault and there was disappointment for Cpl Alex Williams, fresh from the Olympic trials the week before, when he no heighted. Sqn Ldr Tom Dobbing took the overall title in the Javelin yet again and the Men’s Long Jump saw a dramatic twist when SAC Kev Hibbins was bumped, in the last round, into 3rd place with his best leap for 7 years, whilst Flt Lt Nav Childs took the overall title in a new PB. The excitement wasn’t over as a late charge in the 400mH hurdles from Flt Lt Rob Barker-Davies saw him overtake the second string Army competitor in the dying moments of the race. Sgt Marc Afford also debuted in this leg busting event in his first Inter Services competition.
The Men’s 100m saw a dominating performance by Cpl Stu Benson to take first place in a time of 10.6secs, an unofficial PB and the first time for quite a few years that the Army stranglehold has been broken on this event. He was backed up by the fast developing SAC Zico Grinion who showed his clear potential for the future. Cpl Si Clarke had everyone on their feet in the stadium as he mounted a late charge through the field to split the Army clean sweep in the 400m in a time of 50.9secs. The 1500m saw newcomer to the team Cpl Kieran White run the Army all the way to the line and a stunning charge by Cpl Steve Robinson over the last 50m hammered the Army’s B string runner into 4th place. The 110mH saw SAC Tony Higbee and Flt Lt Greg Dunson team up again to take a dominant 1st and 2nd place.
Cpl Stu Benson showed his class once again in the 200m to take the sprint double and SAC Zico Grinion was edged into 2nd in the B competition by only 0.1 of a sec to the Army. The 800m saw Cpl Kieran White take to the track again and snatch a Bronze medal in this lung busting event. Fg Off Chris Tildesley, in his first season in RAF Athletics and debut outing in the Inter Services, came a respectable 4th showing huge potential for the future. Flt Lt Nav Childs returned to dominate the Triple Jump competition with a leap of 14m 30, and Fg Off Steve Mills debuted in the Inter Services fresh from flying training. The 5000m proved to be a tactical affair with Cpl Matt Blunden content to sit on the Army’s shoulder for much of the race. He covered every surge and then made his bid with a 2 laps to go. Unfortunately the Army rallied and came back in the dying lap to take victory. The Steeplechase saw a massive PB by SAC Lee Athersmith, breaking the 10min barrier for the first time.
The culmination of the day was the relays and although the team points showed the Army in the lead Service pride was still at stake. The RAF Men’s team put on a show of real dominance in the 4 x 100m to win in 42.1secs putting such pressure on the Army and the Navy that they were both disqualified. The 4 x 400m looked promising for a long time, with the balance of power swinging back and forth through out the race, but the eventual victors were the Army despite the Herculean effort of Cpl Stu Benson down the finishing straight.
The women had an equally impressive day. Cpl Laura McGawn may well have achieved an Inter Service Record in the Triple Jump, if it is ratified later in the year, as well as a new 100m PB to go with her 8 Gold medals and 1 Silver. The key element of the day for the team was the number of newcomers to the squad, as well as a number of people returning, and the infectious team spirit they all shared. Other athletes awarded their RAF colours for the first time who have not been mentioned elsewhere in the report were Fg Off Sasha Sheard, Sgt Heather Beattie and Cpl Chesney Hooson. Overall there were 6 PBs during the day and SAC Caroline Livingstone’s dominating performance in the 400m was a particular highlight. Of note was that this was off the back of 5 other high quality performances during the day, which included enabling a historic sprint double to be achieved with RAF sprinters winning both the 100m and 200m.
Fg Off Ester Sandiford had an exception day in the Discus taking a Gold medal on her first outing for the team and AC Tamsyn Rutter also showed her class in the 400m, 5000m (PB), 4 x 100m and 4 x 400m. Fg Off Stacey Kirby also provided gutsy performances in both the 800 and 1500m. Flt Lt Jacqui Smith showed her versatility by competing in 4 different events as well as the 4 x 100m relay. Her battle with the A string Army athletes in the 100mH, narrowly being edged into 3rd place, shows the grit and determination we have come to expect from her. The Women got one over on the Men’s team however as they not only won the 4 x 100m but also the 4 x 400m as well. This is the first time for many years that the Women’s team has beaten the Army in both events highlighting their relentless advance on the Army dominance in the competition.
Overall it was a very promising day. The highlights above are only a select few of the impressive performances from veterans and newcomers alike throughout the day. Although second to the Army we showed we have talent coming through as well as the established stars and the general feeling was that in terms of team spirit we won outright!
Stu Benson - 100m
Braemar Gathering - 6 Sep
By Flt Lt Ben Trapnell
Representatives of the Royal Air Force once again travelled to Braemar to compete in the Royal Highland Gathering. This year teams represented RAF Odiham and RAF Halton in the Inter Unit Medley Relay competing along side units from the Army and Navy. For the first time in the long and illustrious history of this event a female team was allowed to compete as well. RAF Bensons Tug of War team was competing in the Inter Unit Tug of War team and for the first time we entered 3 runners in the prestigious Morrone Hill Race.
The Braemar Gathering is an annual festival of sport and Scottish heritage up in the Cairngorms. Events range from the events mentioned above to individual sprint and throwing events as well as the more light hearted sack race for the kids. Bagpipes and Scottish dancing competitions are also on hand to entertain over 15,000 spectators from all over the world. The general feel is of the worlds biggest school sports day.
The day started out with the Morrone Hill race in which we had three athletes: Gp Capt Richard Gammage, Flt Lt Carl Thompson and Sgt Ronnie McWilliams. The premise of the event was simple, complete one lap of the track and then make your way to the top of Morrone Hill and then back again to the park for a final lap before finishing in front of the crowds. There was no set course but the athletes attacked it head on, starting well and staying well in contention amongst the field of 80 athletes varying from professional fell runners to normal club athletes. After a major effort up the hill they started their decent and Ronnie was the first to reach the bottom and finished as the first veteran in the field, 7th overall. Gp Capt Gammage, the RAFAA Chairman, was next through the line as 4th veteran showing remarkable courage, practically throwing himself down the slope with Carl Thomson close behind. They finished 17th and 20th respectively. Results
Straight after the hill race finished the heats of the Inter Unit Relay kicked off. Each team consisted of 4 runner, the first of which runs half a lap of the grass track followed by the next 2 runners doing a full lap each and leaving the anchor leg to cover another half lap to the finish. RAF Odiham and RAF Halton were in the first heat. Odiham was represented by CT Frank Chapman, SAC Mike Wright, Cpl Stephen (Paddy) McLernon and Flt Lt Rob Barker Davies. Of special note was that this was Paddy's last competitive outing for the association after many years representing the RAF. Halton was represented by Flt Lt Nosheen Chaudry, Flt Lt Ben Trapnell, Sgt Gavin Livingstone and SO Charlie Todd in her debut outing representing the RAF. Odiham dominated from the start and their victory was never in doubt. Halton came last despite giving it their all but still qualified for the final as the fastest losers.
Next up was the debut of the women's team consisting of Flt Lt Jacqui Smith, Fg Off Sasha Sheard, Fg Off Stacey Kirby and SAC Caroline Livingstone. They didn't disappoint, leading from the gun and never looking under threat beating amongst others a team from the Royal Guards. The crowds really got behind them and cheered them all the way home.
Around the exploits of the relays teams and the hill runners, the Benson Tug of War was in fine form. They had an inexperienced team but they won their early matches but eventually got edged into the Plate competition. Unfortunately they drew the eventual plate winners in 17 Port and departed the competition early but with clear potential for the future. More....
The arrival of Her Majesty the Queen heralded the relay finals. With all three teams in the final it promised to be an interesting race. With SAC McLernon leading the Odiham team off they started strong and powered around the course to take the overall victory. The ladies didn't have it all their own way but still managed to claim third place. Halton gave it their all but could not quite match the strength of the other teams. The day concluded with SAC Mike Wright going up to receive the trophy from Her Majesty. Tired but proud the team departed Braemar happy with their achievements of the day with everyone keen to come back next year to participate in this fantastic event. A steady trip back to Leuchar's allowed them to unwind before celebrating their achievements in St Andrews. All were keen to return to this unique and special event.