Aviva World TRials and UK Champs - 10th to 12th of Jul 09

By Flt Lt Ben Trapnell

The world Trials this year were graced by two Royal Air Force Athletes. Cpl Stu Benson was competing in the 200m and Flt Lt Nav Childs was competing in the Triple Jump. This competition is by invitation only and you have to be amongst the very best in your event from the whole of the UK so to get 2 athletes there is quite an achievement. The event had the added benefit of being broadcast over 2 days on BBC 1 increasing the visibility of the Royal Air Force vest across the nation!

Stu made it through his heats and got to the Semi Final in good form. After a blisteringly quick start he looked well placed around the bend but the quality of the field was too much and he was overhauled down the finishing straight ending up in 4th place equalling his best time of the year over 200m and ranking him 44th in the UK.

Nav jumped well in the straight final against such athletes as Olympian Phillips Idowu but did not jump far enough to earn a place in the final 6 and came 9th overall. Irrespective of this, he is still ranked 13th in the UK for the Triple Jump at the time of going to press and following a deployment overseas in September should come back even stronger next year. Watch out Army!