CITY of Plymouth’s international hurdler David King continued his preparations for the forthcoming British Championships by claiming his second win within the space of two weeks at Nuneaton.
King once again beat his British rival Cameron Fillery to triumph at the second Nuneaton Open Meet of the delayed 2020 athletics season.
His victory came within days of taking third place at the World Athletics Continental Tour Gold Meeting in Finland.
In Scandinavia, King had run a season’s best time of 13.57 seconds.
Conditions were not quite as favourable in Nuneaton for fast running, with British champion King clocking 13.81 seconds into a head wind and runner-up Fillery finishing in 14.08.
King does appear to have inspired other sprint hurdlers at his club, with City of Plymouth impressing in those events at the Devon Open Meeting at Tavistock on Sunday.
The meeting was the first in the region this season due to Covid-19 and Henry Curtis, Poppy Northcott and Nicholas Maczugowski all claimed hurdles victories.
Under-17 athlete Curtis ran a season’s best time of 13.94 seconds for the 100m hurdles. That ranks him fifth in the UK. He also ran a 100m PB of 11.74 seconds and a 200m PB of 23.85 seconds.
Poppy Northcott stormed to victory in the under-15 girls’ 75m hurdles in a time of 12.57 seconds. It was her first outing at that distance, 
having moved up from the under-13 age group. She also clocked 43.57 seconds on her debut at 300m. Her sister, Rosie, took third place in the hurdles with a 13.54 second run.
Maczugowski, currently sixth in the UK rankings, ran 12.74 seconds to win the under-15 boys’ 80m hurdles. He also claimed victory in the shot with a PB of 10.40m and won the under-15 boys’ discus with 28.12m.
However, possibly the performance of the day on Sunday at Tavistock came from Plymouth’s Nubia Evans-Shields. The youngster was competing at under-15 level for the first time but threw a massive 34.53m in the discus to go straight to the top of the UK rankings. That throw is more than six metres further than anyone else in that age group has so far thrown this year.
There were some impressive throwing performances at Tavistock.
Yate’s UK number one Owen Merritt led the way with an incredible under-17 hammer throw of 67.91m, but home athletes also impressed.
Lois Fileman finds herself fourth in the UK rankings after throwing an impressive 48.67m in the under-20 women’s hammer. The day before she had opened her season with a best of 47.82m at the Newquay & Par Throw Series in Cornwall.
England Schools’ discus international Edward Fileman had also caught the eye at Newquay before improving on his home venue. He had thrown a PB of 55.98m to win the under-20 men’s hammer competition on Saturday at Par before improving 
that to 56.45m at Tavistock 24 hours later. That ranks him sixth at under-20 level in that event, having just moved up to that age group. He also threw 12.61m in the shot.
Another Tavistock athlete, Phoebe Milburn, also finds herself high up the UK rankings in the hammer. She threw 36.52m to win the under-15 girls’ event. That puts her fifth nationally. She also set a PB of 8.84m in the shot.
Harry Tomlin won the under-17 javelin with an impressive 48.96m. He also won the shot with a PB of 12.57m.
Another Tavistock thrower, Owen Fileman moved up to second in the UK under-13 boys’ discus rankings with a best of 22.66m. He also made his mark in the shot with a PB and UK top seven throw of 8.28m.
There were also some thrilling track events. City of Plymouth’s Dean Smith and Erme Valley Harriers’ Nathan Brown enjoyed a great battle in the men’s 800m. In the end just 0.02 of a second separated the pair, with Smith edging victory in 1:59.54 and Brown taking second in 1:59.56. City of Plymouth’s Dan Newman was third in a PB time of 2:01.38, while young club colleague Jed Hutchings knocked six seconds off his PB to finish as first under-15 boy in a time of 2:09.71.
Fellow Plymouth athlete Oliver Woodmason won the under-17 800m in 2:05.04, while club colleague Molly Shorey ran 2:24.8 on her debut at that distance in the under-15 girls’ event. She came second to England Schools’ international Scarlett Livingstone, who clocked a quick 2:16.3.
Tavistock’s Jamie Bulbring managed to run under 13 seconds for the 100m in her first outing of 2020 to edge out Plymouth’s Lili Fern (13.05) in the under-17 event. Bulbring also won the 200m in 26.28 ahead of Plymouth’s Harriet Beardsmore (27.30) and Fern (27.42).
Mali Heard of Plymouth won the under-15 girls’ 200m in 27.48 seconds. She was also second in the 300m in 43.39.
Tavistock’s Rory Summers enjoyed a good afternoon on his home track by winning the under-15 boys’ 100m in a PB time of 12.61 seconds. He also secured a PB of 5.05m to win the long jump and another PB of 25.80 seconds to take victory in the 200m.
Last season’s English Schools’ 300m champion Joe Wheeler made his debut at under-17 level and came second in the 400m with a time of 52.10 seconds. He also ran 24.09 seconds for the 200m, while his twin brother James, making his track debut, ran 11.78 for the 100m.
Plymouth’s Brook Adnitt clocked 11.33 to finish third in the men’s 100m before taking second in the 200m in 23.22.
Omar Hammoudeh showed Plymouth have more sprinters coming through. He comfortably won the under-11 75m and 150m events.
Erme Valley’s Rose Bruynseels broke her long jump PB by 14cm to take third place in the under-13 girls’ event with 3.87m, while Tavistock’s Joely Bytheway won the women’s 400m hurdles.
Full results from the Devon Opening meeting can be found HERE.
Meanwhile, Tamar Trotters’ Mike Wilsmore opened his outdoor season in midweek by clocking 1:51.82 for the 800m at the BMC Gold Standard Meet at Stretford.
Away from the track, Tavistock’s Jo Meek wrote her name in the ultra distance record books by setting a new course record for the Nigel Jenkins Dartmoor Round run at the weekend.
The run involves visiting 28 tours on Dartmoor and completing nearly 75 miles. Her target to beat for the run was 16 hours and 11 minutes, which was held by Andrew Connor. In the end, despite rain and mist, she comfortably broke it by clocking 14 hours and 39 minutes.