Stepping onto a track for the first time this year following a solid block of distance training throughout lockdown, U13 Lyla Belshaw couldn’t have been more delighted with her performance.  At the BFTTA Open at the Jim Peters Stadium, Dagenham on Sunday 23 August she executed a great debut 800m.

Competing in the first of two races, Belshaw was placed on the outside of a waterfall start. At the gun, she headed straight for the arc of the bend and the front of the pack, managing to hold off an early challenge for the initial 150m.  By the end of her first lap (just under 74s) she had created a 10m lead and kept up a superb steady pace to finish a clear 4 seconds (25m) ahead of second place to finish in 2.30.08 smashing the U13 Girls Club Record which had stood since 2001.  Her time was the second quickest of the day for her age group.

Just a week after his phenomenal 400m, also competing in the blustery conditions was U23 Sprinter Charlie Dobson; taking on his first 100m in over a year.  From the inside lane and once into his stride he held off competition from 2019 British 60m Champion and  World U20 100m finalist, a European U23 100m Silver medallist as well as International Athlete Antonio Infantino to take first place, obliterating his previous PB in a stunning 10.12s run.  But for the illegal wind (2.5) this would have moved him up to the top of the British rankings for 2020 and joint top of the European U23 rankings. 

He has now achieved the qualifying standards for the 100m, 200m and 400m for the British Championships which will be competed in Manchester on 4^th/ 5th September.