Happy Birthday from Thursday 6 March to Wednesday 11 March – Angus Brown, Ashwin Fowkes-Gajan, Larissa Giles, Miguel Gonzalez, Genny Howat, Eva Higson, Ebenezer Joseph, Cameron Knight, Glen Quayle, Onaope Sogbesan, Georgina Warmate and Lucas Xie

ENGLAND ATHLETICS THROWS COMMUNITY NEWSLETTER – Just received the February issue from NICK RIDGEON of England Athletics – England Athletics February 2025 Throws Community Newsletter

ATHLETICS WEEKLY 1969 TO 1987 – RICHARD SAMUEL wishes to dispose of his collection of Athletics Weekly’s, which ranges from mid 1969 to mid 1987. Most years are complete but there are a few gaps. Mostly the condition is good but a few are a bit dog eared. RICHARD suggests a donation to club funds by anyone interested and they would have be collected.
Anyone interested please contact RICHARD by email at Richard.samuel1@btinternet.com

SHAFTESBURY BARNET HARRIERS SUBSCRIPTIONS – Our new Club year started on 1 October 2024. The current SBH annual subscription is £85 (following the recent 2024 SBH AGM) and the current England Athletics annual registration from 1 April 2024 is £19. The current total is £104 and should be paid NOW to; ACCOUNT NAME: SHAFTESBURY BARNET HARRIERS, BANK: HSBC, ACCOUNT NUMBER: 41308378, SORT CODE: 400426 – Please advise GEOFF MORPHITIS by email (geoffrey.morphitis@capeandd.com) when payment has been made.

RESULTS
Just to clarify, that the results I publish can be different to those that are shown on the Power of 10. The differences relate to seasons and personal best performances. For example in the recent EYAL results, an athlete in the 200m ran (24.1), and on his profile his season’s best was shown as (23.88) indoors. As the 200m indoors and outdoors are totally different type of events, I had shown the (24.1) as a season’s best. Regarding Master athletes any personal best performances relate to their current age-groups, as Club Records for Masters age-groups are in 5 year periods.

NORTH WEST LONDON LEAGUE – Took place at Brent Country Park on 1 March
Apologies but the results are still not published

EESA ENGLISH SCHOOLS CUP FINAL – Took place at Leeds on 1 March
Under 20 Men 5230m – RAFI GAYER U20 (Hertfordshire Schools) 6th (16.13), JORDAN PEARLMAN U20 (Hertfordshire Schools)45th (17.09), PETER BAYVEL-ZAYATS U20 (Hertfordshire Schools)109th (18.34) the winner was Owen Smith of Hampshire Schools (15.25) 146 runners finished
Under 20 Women 3230m – ZULEIKHA COLLINS U20 (Middlesex Schools) 24th (12.09), AKHALIA COLLINS U20 (Middlesex Schools) 48th (12.35) the winner was Katie Pye of Surrey Schools (10.44) 131 runners finished
Under 15 Boys 4090m – No SBH runners, the winner was Finn Maclennan of Cambridgeshire Schools (12.35) 158 runners finished
Under 15 Girls 2880m – No SBH runners, the winner was Kitty Scott of Surrey Schools (10.41) 129 runners finished
Under 13 Boys 2440m – No SBH runners, the winner was Dexter Marshall of Suffolk Schools (7.46) 163 runners finished
Under 13 Girls 2440m – ABIGAIL ROSS U13 (Middlesex Schools) 97th (9.42) the winner was Jessica Thake of South Yorkshire Schools (8.11) 153 runners finished
There are no team results available as yet

VAULT CARDIFF – Took place at Cardiff on 1-2 March
Pole Vault – SX F GENNY HOWAT 3rd (PB 3.44mi) adding 3cm to her 2024 height

UK WINTER LONG THROWS CHAMPIONSHIPS – Took place at Loughborough on 1-2 March
Discus 1kg – U18W ELKIE BAKER U17 (2nd Claim) 5th (SB 31.56m) and is ranked UK No.5 U17 in 2025
Hammer 3kg – U18W KEIRA LAKE-BRYAN U17 2nd (SB 48.89m) and is ranked UK No.5 U17 in 2025
Hammer 4kg – U15B MILO RYNEHART U17 4th (SB 46.44m)
Javelin 700g – U18M DANIEL DUBRAS U20 1st (PB 61.38m)
Javelin 800g – SM DANIEL BAINBRIDGE 2nd (SB 72.11m) and is ranked UK No.2 in 2025

ESSEX AND EASTERN INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS – Took place at Lee Valley on 1-2 March
Pole Vault – U15B Straight Final NOAH VAN DEN BERGH U15 won the Silver Medal (3.20mi)
Pole Vault – U17M Straight Final ISAAC VAN DEN BERGH U17 won the Gold Medal (SB 4.00mi) adding 15cm to his 25 January height, and is ranked UK No.7 U17 in 2025, WILLIAM SYLVESTER U17 won the Silver Medal (3.40mi)

WIC Q JAMAICA – Took place at Spanish Town, Jamaica on 1 March
60m Hurdles – SW PARIS KING U23 3rd (SB 8.56 w1.6) and is ranked UK No.9 U23 in 2025

RUNNING 2 TIME BRUNDEL INDOOR OPEN MEETING – Took place at Uxbridge on 26 February
60m – SX A11 DAMI ADEKUNLE U13 4th (8.77i), B12 DAMI finished 3rd (8.84i)

BIG 12 CHAMPIONSHIPS – Took place at Lubbock, Texas, USA on 28 February – 1 March
1000m – SM H1 HENRY DOVER U23 (Oklahoma State University) 6th (PB 2:26.42i) taking .78 of a second off his 17 January time, and is ranked UK No.1 U23 in 2025
3000m – SM 1 HENRY DOVER U23 (Oklahoma State University) 5th (8:09.85i)

BIG 10 INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS – Took place at Indianapolis, Indiana, USA on 28 February – 1 March
Heptathlon – SM JAMI SCHLUETER (University of Washington) 2nd (5561 points) 60m (7.01i), 1000m (2:59.41i), 60m Hurdles (SB 8.14i), High Jump (PB 1.94mi) equalling his 31 January height, Pole Vault (PB 4.65mi) equalling his 1 February height, Long Jump (7.08mi), Shot 7.26kg (13.20mi)

A SUN INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS – Took place at Louisville, Kentucky, USA on 27-28 February
Mile – SM 1 KRISTIAN IMROTH (Eastern Kentucky University) 1st (4:09.69i), in the next race KRISTIAN finished 1st ({PB 4:04.32i) taking 1.23 seconds off his 2024 time
3000m – SM 3 KRISTIAN IMROTH (Eastern Kentucky University) 7th (8:16.44i)

SEC INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS – Took place at College Station, Texas, USA on 27 February – 1 March
400m – SM 7 JADEN SMITH U23 (Arkansas University) 2nd (46.59i)

FRIDAY NIGHT 5K UNDER THE LIGHTS – Took place at Battersea Park on 27 February
5K – B JACK PARSLOW V35 (2nd Claim) (SB 15.18)

PARKRUN – Can you make sure that you are registered as ‘Shaftesbury Barnet Harriers’, as the link I use to select all results only shows SBH athletes. If anyone is also officiating can you please contact me and advise me where and when.

PARKRUNS MILESTONE VESTS – You can purchase these from 50 to 500, this is the link – https://shop.parkrun.com/collections/milestone-run-walk-vests

PARKRUNS IN THE UK – Last Saturday at parkruns in the UK, there were…
1,256 events – 242,134 walkers, joggers, runners and volunteers – 10,761 first timers – 32,840 PBs

PARKRUN 5K – Took place at Aldenham on 1 March
PAUL LEWIS V50 6th (23.06) this was his 248th Parkrun, SCARLETT KENT U23 7th (23.19) this was her 82nd Parkrun, JO KENT V55 8th (23.19) this was her 159th Parkrun

PARKRUN 5K – Took place at Ally Pally on 1 March
JAMES DAVIS U23 139th (27.47) this was his 80th Parkrun

PARKRUN 5K – Took place at Battersea on 1 March
CALEB HILTON U15 28th (16.35) this was his 22nd Parkrun, JESSE ABRAHAMS U15 33rd (16.48) this was his 10th Parkrun

PARKRUN 5K – Took place at Felixstowe on 1 March
ROSS HAMMOND U20 19th (19.10) this was his 73rd Parkrun

PARKRUN 5K – Took place at Greenpoint on 1 March
ETHAN SLUTZKIN U11 25th (PB 21.49) this was his 120th Parkrun

PARKRUN 5K – Took place at Gunpowder on 1 March
AIMEE PORTER U15 31st (21.44) this was her 10th Parkrun

PARKRUN 5K – Took place at Oak Hill on 1 March
TOMMY NARVAEZ-WHITE  U20 2nd (17.22) this was his 55th Parkrun, EUAN PHILLIPS U17 3rd (PB 17.30) this was his 48th Parkrun, BRADLEY SINGER V35 41st (21.26) this was his 312th Parkrun, STUART SINGER V60 124th (24.44) this was his 459th Parkrun

PARKRUN 5K – Took place at Panshanger on 1 March
RUSSELL DEVITT V75 205th (58.27) this was his 337th Parkrun

PARKRUN 5K – Took place at Princes, Liverpool on 1 March
DYLAN MICHEL U23 2nd (PB 17.56) this was his 53rd Parkrun

PARKRUN 5K – Took place at Pymmes on 1 March
HARRISON HENDERSON U13 7th (18.57) this was his 1st Parkrun, ERIN GIBLIN U17 40th (23.21) this was her 7th Parkrun

PARKRUN 5K – Took place at Rickmansworth on 1 March
MATTHEW MAY U17 5th (PB 17.22) this was his 7th Parkrun

PARKRUN 5K – Took place at Sunny Hill on 1 March
DINA SILVERMAN U17 7th (21.39) this was her 4th Parkrun

UPCOMING FIXTURES FOR THE NEXT 6 WEEKS, WHICH COVERS THE PERIOD THURSDAY 6 MARCH UNTIL WEDNESDAY 15 APRIL – The SBH 2024-2025 Winter Fixture Card can be found on the SBH website, in which you can Access/Print a copy for future reference. Also the majority of fixtures Information can be found on the SBH Website under the ‘Upcoming Fixtures’ section.

UK CAU INTER COUNTIES CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS – Takes place on Saturday 8 March at Prestwold Hall, Loughborough.
Note: You you will selected by your respective County Team Manager

ENGLAND ATHLETICS U15 AND U17 COMBINED EVENTS INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS – Takes place at the English Institute of Sport, Coleridge Road, Sheffield (Satnav S9 5DA) on Saturday 8 March and Sunday 9 March.
Entries Closed

HERTFORDSHIRE, MIDDLESEX AND KENT INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS – Takes place at Lee Valley on Saturday 15 March and Sunday 16 March, for all age-groups excluding U13s.
Entries Closed

ENGLISH SCHOOLS CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS – Takes place on Saturday 15 March at West Sussex.
Note: You you will selected by your respective County Team Manager

WORLD MASTERS INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS – Takes place in Alachua, Florida, USA from Saturday 15 March to Friday 21 March.
Entries Closed

WORLD SENIOR INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS – Takes place in Glasgow from Friday 21 March to Sunday 23 March
Note: You will be selected following the UK trials

SHAFTESBURY BARNET HARRIERS THROWSFEST 1 – Takes place on Sunday 23 March at the StoneX Stadium, Greenlands Lane, Hendon (Satnav NW4 1RL).
Entry fee for SBH members is £6 for their first event, and £9 for subsequent events. Entry fee for non SBH members is £12 for each event.
Events are Hammer starts at 10.20am, Discus and Shot starts at 13.40am and Javelin starts at 17.00am.
Link to the online entries on Opentrack – https://data.opentrack.run/en-gb/x/2025/GBR/sbh-throwsfest-1/
Entries Closing Date Thursday 20 March, No Entries On The Day
Note: Events may be full before the Closing Date, Therefore Please Enter As Soon As Possible

SHAFTESBURY BARNET HARRIERS THROWSFEST 2 – Takes place on Saturday 29 March at the StoneX Stadium, Greenlands Lane, Hendon (Satnav NW4 1RL).
Entry fee for SBH members is £6 for their first event, and £9 for subsequent events. Entry fee for non SBH members is £12 for each event.
Events are Hammer starts at 10.20am, Discus and Shot starts at 13.40am and Javelin starts at 17.00am.
Link to the online entries on Opentrack – https://data.opentrack.run/en-gb/x/2025/GBR/sbh-throwsfest-2/
Entries Closing Date Wednesday 26 March, No Entries On The Day
Note: Events may be full before the Closing Date, Therefore Please Enter As Soon As Possible

SOUTHERN MEN’S 12 STAGE AND WOMENS 6 STAGE ROAD RELAYS WHICH INCLUDE THE 15/U17 5K AND U13 3K ROAD CHAMPIONSHIPS – Takes place on Sunday 30 March at Milton Keynes.Bucks (MK14 6BN)/strong>
Start times – 11.00am U15/U17 5K, 12.00pm Men 6 Stages of 4.8K and 6 Stages of 7.2K, Women 4 Stages of 4.8K and 2 Stages of 7.2K
Entries Closing Date Monday 17 March
Note: You will have to be pre-entered by your respective Team Manager

LEE VALLEY MINITHON INDOOR FIXTURES – Is for School years 3 to 7, in which you compete in 3 events from the following – 60m, 200m, 600, 60m Hurdles, High Jump (Year 6 and 7 only), Long Jump, Shot Put and Javelin (Year 6 and 7 only).
The final fixture is on Saturday 22 March.
Link to information guide on the Minithon – Information Guide For Lee Valley Minithon
To enter please use this link – https://www.better.org.uk/leisure-centre/lee-valley/athletics-centre/kids-activities#%20
Note: You will have to enter yourself and pay the appropriate entry fee

A LOOK AHEAD TO THE SUMMER – The summer fixtures have now been finalised and published, this being the case these are the Fixtures/Venues for the various leagues that Shaftesbury compete in. I anticipate issuing the Fixture card towards the end of March.

Eastern Young Athletes League for U13, U15 and U17 age-groups – Sunday 13 April at Cambridge, Sunday 18 May at Watford, Sunday 15 June at Stevenage, Sunday 27 July at StoneX Stadium, the EYAL Finals take place on 7 September, venue to be confirmed.
Middlesex Young Athletes League for U11, U13, U15 and U17 age-groups – Saturday 3 May at Perivale, Sunday 2 June at Finsbury Park, Sunday 15 June at Stevenage, Saturday 28 June at Harrow, Sunday 20 July at Parliament Hill.
UK Youth Development League for U17 and U20 age-groups – Sunday 27 April at Bromley, Sunday 25 May at Eton, Sunday 6 July at StoneX Stadium, the National Finals take place on 7 September, venue to be confirmed.
National Athletics League for U20 and Senior age-groups (Under 17s can compete as rule 42) – Saturday 31 May at Eton, Saturday 5 July at Derby, Saturday 16 August at Birmingham.

This summer Shaftesbury will be promoting 5 fixtures at StoneX Stadium, the following dates and details are still provisional, and will be finalised within the next 4/6 weeks.
Saturday 21 June SBH Track and Field Open Meeting, Sunday 13 July SBH Jumps Open Meeting, Saturday 9 August SBH Showcase Open Meeting, Monday 25 August SBH Club Championships and Open Meeting, Sunday 13 September SBH Autumn Throwsfest.
These are the main 4 major fixtures – 17-20 July European U23 Championships at Bergen, Norway, 2-3 August UK Championships at Birmingham, 7-10 August European U20 Championships at Tampere, Finland, 13-21 July World Championships at Tokyo, Japan.

2025 EUROPEAN INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS FORM GUIDE – The following article was published on the Athletics Weekly website recently.

Here are the best performances this year by athletes expected to compete in Apeldoorn from March 6-9. On the eve of the European Indoor Championships, here are some statistics to help set the scene. They include record-holders and reigning champions, plus 2025 rankings with members of the British team in bold. Stats courtesy of Track & Field Tours. (A = high altitude  + = en route time; WL = World lead)

MEN
60 METRES – World rec: 6.34A Christian Coleman USA 18 – Eur & UK rec: 6.42 Dwain Chambers GBR 09 – CBP: 6.42 Dwain Chambers GBR 09 (SF) – Holder: 6.48 Samuele Ceccarelli ITA
UK medallists: (gold) Barrie Kelly 66, Mike McFarlane 85, Linford Christie 88 & 90, Jason Livingston 92, Colin Jackson 94, Jason Gardener 00, 02, 05 & 07, Chambers 09, Richard Kilty 15 & 17; (silver) Bob Frith 68 (50m), Jason John 96, Gardener 98, Mark Lewis-Francis 02, Craig Pickering 07, Chambers 11, James Dasaolu 13; (bronze) Frith 69 (50m), Mike Rosswess 89, 92 & 94
2025 rankings – 6.54 Henrik Larsson SWE, 6.54 Abel Jordan ESP, 6.56 Joshua Hartmann GER, 6.56 Romell Glave GBR, 6.56 Robin Ganter GER, 6.56 Jeremiah Azu GBR, 6.57 Kevin Kranz GER, 6.58 Allan Lagui FRA, 6.60 Guillem Crespi ESP, 6.60 John Otugade GBR, 6.60 Yannick Wolf GER, 6.60 Ertan Ozkan TUR

 400 METRES – WR: 44.57 Kerron Clement USA 05 (Chris Williams CAN 44.49 24 not ratified) – ER: 45.05 Thomas Schönlebe GDR 88 – UKR: 45.39 Jamie Baulch 97 – CBP: 45.05 Karsten Warholm NOR 19 CBP: 45.05 Karsten Warholm NOR –Holder: 45.35 Karsten Warholm NOR
UK medallists: (gold) Todd Bennett 85 & 87, Du’aine Ladejo 94 & 96; (silver) Ainsley Bennett 83, Brian Whittle 88 & 89, Nigel Levine 13; (bronze) Paul Harmsworth 87, David Grindley 92, Robert Tobin 07, Richard Buck 11
2025 rankings – 45.08 Attila Molnar HUN, 45.74 Inaki Canal ESP, 45.81 Maks Szwed POL, 45.85 Matej Krsek CZE, 45.90 Jonas Pjijffers NED, 45.93 Eugene Omalla NED, 45.96 Isaya Klein IkkinkNED, 46.03 Jimy Soudril FRA, 46.15 Luca Sito ITA, 46.18 Yann Spillmann FRA, 46.19 Patrik Enyingi HUN, 46.45 Alex Haydock-Wilson GBR, 46.72 Efe Okoro GBR

800 METRES – WR & ER: 1:42.67 Wilson Kipketer DEN 97 – UKR: 1:43.63 Elliot Giles 21 – CBP: 1:44.78 Pawel Czapiewski POL 02 – CBP: 1:44.78 Pawel Czapiewski POL 02 – Holder: 1:47.34 Adrian Ben ESP
UK medallists: (gold) Seb Coe 77, Rob Harrison 85, David Sharpe 88, Steve Heard 89, Tom McKean 90;  (silver) Phil Lewis 71, Peter Elliott 83; Jamie Webb 19; (bronze) Phil Norgate 84, Mukhtar Mohammed 13, Webb 21
2025 rankings – 1:44.65 Elvin Josue Canales ESP, 1:44.69 Eliott Crestan BEL, 1:45.15 Mark English IRL, 1:45.33 Cian McPhillips IRL, 1:45.35 Catalin Tecuceanu ITA, 1:45.46 Samuel Chapple NED, 1:45.47 Maciej Wyderka POL, 1:45.75 Bartosz Kitlinski POL, 1:45.78 Justin Davies GBR, 1:45.80 Yanis Meziane FRA, 1:45.84 Alvaro de Arriba ESP, 1:45.96 Mariano Garcia ESP, 1:46.08 Louey Ouerrat FRA, 1:46.11 Ryan Clarke NED  Other UK, 1:46.56 Thomas Randolph GBR, 1:46.69 Jack Higgins GBR

1500 METRES – WR/ER: 3:29.63 Jakob Ingebrigtsen NOR 25 – UKR: 3:32.48 Neil Gourley 23 – CBP/Holder: 3:33.95 Jakob Ingebrigtsen NOR – CBP/Holder: 3:33.95 Jakob Ingebrigtsen NOR
UK medallists: (gold) John Whetton 66, 67 & 68, Matt Yates 92, David Strang 94; (silver) Anthony Whiteman 96; Neil Gourley 23; (bronze) Walter Wilkinson 69, John Robson 79, Tony Morrell 90, Michael East 02, Chris O’Hare 15
2025 rankings – 3:29.63 Jakob Ingebrigtsen NOR+, 3:32.24+ Azeddine Habz FRA, 3:32.59 Isaac Nader POR, 3:33.14+ Robert Farken GER, 3:33.18+ Neil Gourley GBR, 3:34.49 Ruben Verheyden BEL, 3:35.12 Thomas Keene GBR, 3:35.43 Elliot Giles GBR, 3:35.62 Samuel Pihlstrom SWE, 3:36.08+ Jochem Vermeulen BEL, 3:36.24 Mohamed Attaoui ESP, 3:36.25 Louis Gilavert FRA, 3:36.28 Mahadi Abdi Ali NED

3000 METRES – WR: 7:22.91 Grant Fisher USA 25 – ER: 7:24.68 Mohamed Katir ESP 23 – UKR: 7:27.92 George Mills 25 – CBP: 7:40.17 Mo Farah GBR 09 – Holder: 7:40.32 Jakob Ingebrigtsen NOR
UK medallists: (gold) Ian Stewart 69 & 75, Ricky Wilde 70, Peter Stewart 71, John Mayock 98, Farah 09 & 11; (silver) Mayock 92 & 05, Lee Emanuel 15; Chris O’Hare 19; (bronze) Ray Smedley 76, Rod Finch 94, Mayock 00 & 02
2025 rankings – 7:27.92 George Mills GBR, 7:29.49 Niels Laros NED, 7:30.75 Andrew Coscoran IRL, 7:31.50 Azeddine Habz FRA, 7:36.38 Andreas Almgren SWE, 7:37.05 John Heymans BEL, 7:37.10 Stefan Nillessen NED, 7:37.13 James West GBR, 7:38.06 Sam Parsons GER, 7:38.20 Mike Foppen NED, 7:39.01 Florian Bremm GER, 7:39.05 Narve Gilje Nordas NED, 7:39.77 Bastien Augusto FRA, 7:39.90 Ruben Verheyden BEL, 7:39.97 Filip Ingebrigtsen NED

60 METRES HURDLES – WR: 7.27 Grant Holloway USA – ER & UKR: 7.30 Colin Jackson GBR 94 – CBP: 7.39 Jackson GBR 94 (SF) – Holder: 7.41 Jason Joseph SUI
UK medallists: (gold) Alan Pascoe 69 (50m), Jackson 89, 94 & 02, Andy Pozzi 17; (silver) Mike Parker 66, Berwyn Price 76, Jackson 87, Jon Ridgeon 88, Tony Jarrett 90 & 00; Pozzi 21; (bronze) Nigel Walker 87
2025 rankings – 7.39 Jakub Szymanski POL, 7.45 Jason Joseph SUI, 7.46 Wilhem Belocian FRA, 7.48 Enrique Llopis ESP, 7.50 Damian Czykier POL, 7.51 Elle Bacari BEL, 7.52 Just Kwaou-Mathey FRA, 7.53 Abel Jordan ESP, 7.53 Asier Martinez ESP, 7.56 Manuel Mordi GER, 7.57 Krzysztof Kiljan POL

HIGH JUMP – WR: 2.43 Javier Sotomayor CUB 89 – ER: 2.42 Carlo Thränhardt FRG 88 – UKR: 2.38 Steve Smith 94 – CBP: 2.40 Stefan Holm SWE 05 – Holder: 2.31 Douwe Amels NED
UK medallists: (gold) Dalton Grant 94; (silver) Grant 89, Robbie Grabarz 17; (bronze) Geoff Parsons 86, Martyn Bernard 07
2025 rankings – 2.32 Oleh Doroshchuk UKR, 2.31 Jonathan Kapitolnik ISR (outdoor), 2.30 Jan Stefela CZE, 2.28 Matteo Sioli ITA, 2.27 Dmytro Nikitin UKR, 2.26 Manuel Lando ITA, 2.25 Tihomir Ivanov BUL, 2.24 Thomas Carmoy BEL, 2.24 Tobias Potye GER, 2.22 Vadym Kravchuk UKR

POLE VAULT – WR & ER: 6.27 Mondo Duplantis SWE 25 – UKR: 5.83 Luke Cutts 14 – CBP: 6.05 Mondo Duplantis SWE 21 – Holder: 5.80 Sondre Guttormsen NOR
UK medallists: none
2025 rankings – 6.02 Emmanouil Karalis GRE, 5.91 Thibaut Collet FRA, 5.91 Renaud Lavillenie FRA, 5.91 Baptiste Thiery FRA, 5.90 Ersu Sasma TUR, 5.85 Sondre Guttormsen NOR, 5.83 Menno Vloon NED, 5.82 Valters Kreiss LAT, 5.80 Torben Blech GER, 5.80 Ben Broeders BEL, 5.72 Bo Kanda Lita Baehre GER, 5.70 Piotr Lisek POL

LONG JUMP – WR: 8.79 Carl Lewis USA 84 – ER/CBP: 8.71 Sebastian Bayer GER 09 – UKR: 8.26A Greg Rutherford 16 – Holder: 8.30 Miltiadis Tentoglou GRE
UK medallists: (gold) Lynn Davies 67; (silver) Davies 69
2025 rankings – 8.37 Mattia Furlani ITA, 8.23 Thobias Montler SWE, 8.19 Bozhidar Saraboyukov BUL, 8.14 Jaime Guerra ESP, 8.11 Gerson Balde POR, 8.05 Simon Batz GER, 8.05 Miltiádis Tentóglou GRE, 7.94 Radek Juska CZE, 7.93 Kalle Salminen FIN, 7.92 Danylo Dubyna UKR

TRIPLE JUMP – WR: 18.07 Hugues Fabrice Zango BUR 21 – ER & CBP: 17.92 Teddy Tamgho FRA 11 – UKR: 17.75 Phillips Idowu 08 – Holder: 17.60 Pedro Pichardo POR
UK medallists: (gold) Jonathan Edwards 98, Idowu 07; (silver) Keith Connor 78, Francis Agyepong 96, Nathan Douglas 07; (bronze) Aston Moore 81
2025 rankings – 17.41 Max Hess GER, 17.36 Andrea Dallavalle ITA, 17.31 Andy Diaz Hernandez ITA, 17.05 Melvin Raffin FRA, 16.83 Thomas Gogois FRA, 16.67 Simone Biasutti ITA, 16.54 Rustam Mammadov AZE, 16.50 Can Ozupek TUR, 16.44 Tiago Pereira POR, 16.43 Vladyslav Shepeliev UKR, 15.96 Efe Uwaifo GBR

SHOT – WR: 22.82 Ryan Crouser USA 21 – ER: 22.55 Ulf Timmermann GDR 89 – UKR: 21.49 Carl Myerscough 03 – CBP: 22.19 Timmermann GDR 88 – Holder: 22.06 Zane Weir ITA
UK medallists: (gold) Geoff Capes 74 & 76; (silver) Capes 75, 77 & 79; (bronze) Capes 78
2025 rankings – 21.95 Leonardo Fabbri ITA, 21.76 Zane Weir ITA, 21.49 Wictor Petersson SWE, 21.32 Konrad Bukowiecki POL, 21.21 Andrei Toader ITA, 21.18, Tomas Stanek CZE, 20.86 Scott Lincoln GBR, 20.67 Nick Ponzio ITA, 20.56 Armin Sinancevic SRB, 20.37 Eric Maihofer GER, 20.22 Jesper Arbinge SWE

HEPTATHLON – WR: 6645 Ashton Eaton USA 12 – ER: 6484 Sander Aae Skotheim NOR 25 – UKR: 6118 Tim Duckworth 18 – CBP: 6424 Tomas Dvorak CZE 00 – Holder: 6348 Kevin Mayer FRA
UK medallists: (silver); Tim Duckworth 19
2025 rankings – 6484 Sander Aae Skotheim NOR, 6255 Till Steinforth GER, 6205 Simon Ehammer SUI, 6199 Luc Brewin FRA, 6028 Jente Hauttekeete BEL, 6026 Teo Bastien FRA, 5996 Vilem Strasky CZE, 5940 Rasmus Roosleht EST, 5897 Tim Nowak GER

4 x 400 METRES RELAY – WR 3:01.51 Houston (USA) 19 – ER: 3:01.77 Poland 18 –
UKR: 3:03.20 in 99 – CBP: 3:02.87 Belgium 15 – Holder: 3:05.83 Belgium
UK medallists: (gold) 07, 13; (silver) 05, 09, 11; Bronze 21
Invited teams (with 2024 outdoor best) – 2:55.83 Gt Britain & NI, 2:57.75 Belgium, 2:59.53 France, 3:00.29 Germany, 3:01.44 Spain, 3:03.00 Czech Republic

Mixed 4×400 METRES  – New Event
Invited teams (with 2024 outdoor best) – 3:07.73 Netherlands, 3:08.01 Gt Britain & NI, 3:09.36 Belgium, 3:09.92 Ireland, 3:14.24 Czech Republic, 3:15.11 Spain

WOMEN
60 METRES – WR & ER: 6.92 Irina Privalova RUS 93 & 95 – UKR: 7.03 Dina Asher-Smith 23 – CBP: 7.00 Nellie Cooman NED 86 – CBP/Holder: 7.00 Mujinga Kambundji SUI
UK medallists: (gold) Andrea Lynch 75, Bev Kinch 84, Philip 17; (silver) Lynch 74, Sonia Lannaman 76, Dina Asher-Smith 15; (bronze) Mary Rand 66, Madeleine Cobb 69 (50m), Wendy Hoyte 82, Heather Oakes 85, Philip 19; Daryll Neita 23
2025 rankings – 7.03 Mujinga Kambundji SUI, 7.05 Zaynab Dosso ITA, 7.07 Patrizia van der Weken LUX, 7.09 Ewa Swoboda POL, 7.13 Alexandra Burghardt GER, 7.15 Maria Isabel Perez ESP, 7.16 Geraldine Frey SUI, 7.16 Bianca Williams GBR, 7.17 Delphine Nkansa BEL, 7.17 Karolina Manasova CZE, 7.17 Lorene Dorcas Bazalo POR, 7.18 Jael Bestue ESP, 7.18 Emma Van Camp SUI, 7.18 Amy Hunt GBR, 7.19 Joy Eze GBR

400 METRES – WR & ER & CBP: 49.59 Jarmila Kratochvilová TCH 82 – UKR: 50.02 Nicola Sanders 07 – Holder: 49.85 Femke Bol NED
UK medallists: (gold) Marilyn Neufville 70, Verona Elder 73, 75 & 79, Sally Gunnell 89, Sanders 07, Perri Shakes-Drayton 13; (silver) Elder 77, Eilidh Child 13; (bronze) Rosemary Stirling 69, Elder 81, Seren Bundy-Davies 15, Jodie Williams 21
2025 rankings – 50.44 Henriette Jaeger NOR, 50.57 Amber Anning GBR, 50.76 Lieke Klaver NED, 51.15 Lurdes-Gloria Manuel CZE, 51.20 Paula Sevilla ESP, 51.36 Justyna Swiety-Ersetic POL, 51.44 Blanca Hervas ESP, 51.46 Eva Santidrian ESP, 51.47 Lada Vondrova CZE, 51.56 Cathelijn Peeters NED, 51.64 Daniela Fra ESP, 51.69 Sharlene Mawdsley IRL 51.75 Alice Mangione ITA, 52.10 Ami Pipi GBR, 52.66 Poppy Malik GBR

800 METRES – WR & ER & CBP: 1:55.82 Jolanda Ceplak SLO 02 – UKR: 1:57.18 Keely Hodgkinson 23 – Holder: 1:58.66 Hodgkinson GBR
UK medallists: (gold) Jane Colebrook 77, Meadows 11; Shelayna Oskan-Clarke 19; Keely Hodgkinson 21/23; (silver) Oskan-Clarke 17; (bronze) Rosemary Stirling 71, Liz Barnes 80, Lorraine Baker 90, Marilyn Okoro 13
2025 rankings – 2:00.34 Audrey Werro SUI, 2:00.35 Anita Horvat SLO, 2:00.38 Anna Wielgosz POL, 2:00.53 Majtie Kolberg GER, 2:00.76 Angelika Sarna POL, 2:00.97 Gabija Galvydytwe LTU, 2:01.20 Lorea Ibarzabal ESP, 2:01.22 Lena Kandissounon FRA, 2:01.25 Lore Hoffmann SUI, 2:01.27 Wilma Nielsen SWE, 2:01.46 Clara Liberman FRA, 2:01.53 Aleksandra Formella POL, 2:01.55 Evaliina Maattanen FIN, 2:01.55 Gabriela Gajanova SVK

1500 METRES – WR: 3:53.09 Gudaf Tsegay ETH 21 – ER: 3:57.91 Abeba Aregawi SWE 14 – UKR: 3:59.58 Laura Muir 21 – CBP: 4:02.39 Laura Muir GBR 17 – Holder: 4:03.40 Laura Muir GBR
UK medallists: (gold) Margaret Beacham 71, Mary Stewart 77,  Muir 17, 19, 23 (silver) Holly Archer 21
2025 rankings – 4:00.63 Georgia Hunter Bell GBR, 4:01.62 Sarah Healy IRL, 4:03.59 Marta Zenoni ITA, 4:03.72 Weronoka Lizakowska POL, 4:05.02 Patricia Silva POR, 4:05.04 Salome Afonso POR, 4:05.31 Revee Walcott-Nolan GBR, 4:05.53 Agathe Guillemot FRA, 4:06.31 Esther Guerrero ESP, 4:06.58 Berenice Cleyet-Merle FRA, 4:07.13 Elise Vanderelst BEL

3000 METRES – WR: 8:16.60 Genzebe Dibaba ETH 14 – ER & UKR: 8:26.41 Laura Muir 17 – CBP: 8:30.61 Laura Muir GBR 19 – Holder: 8:35.87 Hannah Klein GER
UK medallists: (gold) Yvonne Murray 87, Helen Clitheroe 11, Muir 17/19; Markovc 21; (silver) Murray 86, Nicky Morris 89; (bronze) Paula Fudge 82, Murray 85, Wendy Sly 88, Eilish McColgan 17, Melissa Courtney-Bryant 19/23; Ockenden 21
2025 rankings – 8:28.69 Melissa Courtney-Bryant GBR, 8:30.79 Sarah Healy IRL, 8:33.47 Maureen Koster NED, 8:39.25 Salome Afonso POR, 8:40.01 Hannah Nuttall GBR, 8:40.05 Innes FitzGerald GBR, 8:40.96 Lea Meyer GER, 8:41.56 Marta Garcia ESP, 8:41.75 Agueda Marques  ESP, 8:47.12 Ludovica Cavalli ITA, 8:47.74 Lisa Rooms BEL, 8:48.00 Weronika Lizakowska POL

60 METRES HURDLES – WR: 7.65 Devynne Charlton BAH 24 – ER: 7.68 Susanna Kallur SWE 08 – UKR: 7.80 Tiffany Porter 11 – CBP: 7.74 Lyudmila Narozhilenko URS 90 – Holder: 7.79 Reetta Hurske FIN
UK medallists: (silver) Porter 11, Lucy Hatton 15; Sember 21; (bronze) Chris Perera 69 (50mH), Diane Allahgreen 98, Serita Solomon 15, Porter 21
2025 rankings – 7.76 Laeticia Bapte FRA, 7.80 Ditaji Kambundji SUI, 7.82 Nadine Visser NED, 7.87 Pia Skrzyazowska POL, 7.92 Marlene Meier GER, 7.95 Anna Toth HUN, 7.96 Rosina Schneider GER, 7.97 Sarah Lavin IRL, 7.97 Luca Kozak HUN, 7.98 Ida Beiter Bomme DEN, 7.99 Sacha Alessandrini FRA

HIGH JUMP – WR & ER: 2.08 Kajsa Bergqvist SWE 06 – UKR: 1.99 Morgan Lake 23 – CBP: 2.05 Tia Hellebaut BEL 07 – Holder: 1.98 Yaroslava Mahuchikh UKR
UK medallists: (silver) Linda Knowles 67; (bronze) Mary Rand 66
2025 rankings – 2.01 Yaroslava Mahuchikh UKR, 1.96 Angelina Topic SRB, 1.95 Christina Honsel GER, 1.94 Morgan Lake GBR, 1.93 Imke Onnen GER, 1.93 Kateryna Tabashnyk UKR, 1.93 Lilianna Batori HUN, 1.91 Idea Pieroni ITA, 1.89 Michaela Hruba CZE

POLE VAULT – WR: 5.03 Jenn Suhr USA 16 – ER: 5.01 Yelena Isinbayeva RUS 12 – UKR: 4.87 Holly Bradshaw 12 – CBP: 4.90 Yelena Isinbayeva RUS 05 – Holder: 4.80 Wilma Murto FIN
UK medallists: (gold) Bradshaw 13; (silver) Bradshaw 19; (bronze); Bradshaw 21
2025 rankings – 4.76 Angelica Moser SUI, 4.71 Marie-Julie Bonnin FRA, 4.70 Tina Sutej SLO, 4.70 Roberta Bruni ITA, 4.65 Amalie Svabikova CZE, 4.60 Elisa Molinarolo ITA, 4.60 Elina Lampela FIN, 4.56 Elien Vekemans BEL, 4.55 Kitty Faye NOR

LONG JUMP – WR & ER: 7.37 Heike Drechsler GDR 88 – UKR/Holder: 7.00 Jazmin Sawyers GBR 03 – CBP: 7.30 Heike Drechsler GDR 88
UK medallists: (gold) Sue Hearnshaw 84; Jazmin Sawyers 23; (silver) Mary Rand 66, Sue Reeve 69, Ugen 17; (bronze) Reeve 78
2025 rankings – 7.07 Malaika Mihambo GER, 6.86 Larissa Iapichino ITA, 6.79 Mikaelle Assani GER, 6.77 Annik Kalin SUI, 6.71 Anna Matuszewicz POL, 6.70 Pauline Hondema NED, 6.70 Plamena Mitkova BUL, 6.62 Irati Mitxelena ESP, 6.60 Milica Gardasevic SRB, 6.59 Fatima Diame ESP, 6.59 Alice Hopkins GBR

TRIPLE JUMP – WR: 15.74 Yulimar Rojas VEN 22 – ER: 15.36 Tatyana Lebedeva RUS 04 – UKR & CBP: 15.16 Ashia Hansen GBR 98 – Holder: 14.31 Tugba Danismaz TUR
UK medallists: (gold) Hansen 98; (silver) Hansen 02
2025 rankings – 14.33 Ana Peleteiro-Campaore ESP, 14.07 Senni Salminen FIN, 14.06 Maja Askag SWE, 14.06 Diana Ion ROU, 14.05 Neja Filipic SLO, 14.04 Jessie Maduka GER, 13.98 Ilionis Guillaume FRA, 13.96 Mariya Siney UKR, 13.87 Kira Wittmann GER, 13.80 Dovile Kilty LTU

SHOT – WR & ER: 22.50 Helena Fibingerová TCH 77 – UKR: 19.06 Venissa Head 84 – CBP: 21.46 Helena Fibingerova TCH 77 – Holder: 19.76 Auriol Dongmo POR
UK medallists: (bronze) Judy Oakes 79
2025 rankings – 20.27 Yemisi Ogunleye GER, 20.19 Jessica Schilder NED, 19.18 Jessica Inchude POR, 19.10 Katharina Maisch GER, 19.00 Auriol Dongmo POR, 18.89 Jorinde van Klinken NED, 18.82 Fanny Roos  SWE, 18.36 Alina Kenzel GER, 18.29 Eliana Bandeira POR, 18.08  Sara Kennman SWE

PENTATHLON – WR & ER & CBP & Holder: 5055 Nafissatou Thiam BEL 23 – UKR: 5000 Katarina Johnson-Thompson 15
UK medallists: (gold) Johnson-Thompson 15 & 19; (silver) Kelly Sotherton 05 & 07, Niamh Emerson 19
2025 rankings – 4843 Saga Vanninen FIN, 4683 Kate O’Connor IRL, 4615 Paulina Ligarska POL 4498 Sveva Gerevini ITA, 4471 Celia Perron FRA, 4455 Sandrina Sprengel GER, 4365 Marijke Esselink NED

4 x 400 METRES RELAY – WR & ER: 3:23.37 Russia 06 – UKR: 3:26.36 in 24 – CBP/holder: 3:25.66 Netherlands 23
UK medallists: (gold) 13; (silver) 09, 11, 15,17 & 19; (bronze) 05 & 07
Invited teams (with 2024 outdoor best) – 3:19.50 Netherlands, 3:19.72 Gt Britain & NI, 3:19.90 Ireland, 3:21.41 France, 3:25.25 Spain, 3:27.76 Czech Republic

British prospects in Apeldoorn – After three successive European medal hauls in two figures in 2017, 2019 and 2021, it dropped to six in 2023 although there were three gold medals.

Injury prevents all three champions (KEELY HODGKINSON, LAURA MUIR and JAZMIN SAWYERS) returning but Britain still has a strong team even if injuries have kept a few others away too and some have had shorter indoor seasons than normal. Unusually, British Athletics have picked a larger team than normal (potentially the largest ever outside of Britain) and selected athletes who wouldn’t have normally reached their harsh qualification criteria, A total of 13 athletes were selected through the Road to Apeldoorn feature.

Topping the rankings are GEORGIA HUNTER BELL (1500m), GEORGE MILLS and MELISSA COURTNEY-BRYANT (3000m) though sadly top-ranked MOLLY CAUDERY (pole vault) was a late withdrawal. Other events where Britain could win a medal is in all three relays, the women’s 400m through AMBER ANNING and the 1500m with NEIL GOURLEY or ELLIOT GILES. There are outside hopes in the 800m races, men’s 60m and women’s high jump and Britain should be vying with the likes of Norway, Netherlands and Italy towards the top of the medal table.

Britain’s European Indoor medal tally since 1990 – excluding the 200m event Year:  gold-silver-bronze – 1990: 2-1-2, 1992: 2-1-2, 1994:  5-0-2, 1996: 1-3-0, 1998: 3-1-1, 2000:  1-1-1, 2002: 2-2-2, 2005: 1-3-1, 2007:  4-3-3, 2009: 2-2-0, 2011: 3-4-1, 2013:  4-3-1, 2015: 2-4-3, 2017: 5-4-1, 2019: 4-5-1, 2021: 2-4-6, 2023: 3-1-2

MONDO DUPLANTIS SOARS TO 11TH WORLD POLE VAULT RECORD – The following article was published on the Athletics Weekly website recently.

The Swedish superstar clears (6.27m) on his first attempt at the All Star Perche meet in Clermont-Ferrand. MONDO DUPLANTIS has broken the world pole vault record for the 11th time in his illustrious career. The Swedish superstar cleared (6.27m) on his first attempt at the All Star Perche meet – founded by SERGEY BUBKA and RENAUD LAVILLENIE in 2016 – in Clermont-Ferrand, France. DUPLANTIS, who is the double Olympic and world pole vault champion, had a perfect card with clearances at heights of (5.65m), (5.91m), (6.02m), (6.07m) and (6.27m). The 25-year-old broke the world record on no fewer than three occasions last year, with his vault of (6.25m) taking place at the Paris Olympics.

DUPLANTIS has also achieved more 60 clearances over the six-metre barrier, emphasising the consistency of the Swede on the global stage. Elsewhere at the All Star Perche meet, EMMANOUIL KARALIS was second with a Greek record  of (6.02m), just a week after the Olympic bronze medallist vaulted over (6.01m). Amazingly, six men cleared (5.91m) or higher, the first time it’s happened in a single competition.

IS ATHLETICS DEVELOPING A CANCEL CULTURE? – The following article was published on the Athletics Weekly website recently. Photographs taken by MARK SHEARMAN.

Muddy legs at Mansfield in 2019

We look at why more and more athletics events in Britain are being called off – and the increasing pressure being placed on organisers. This winter has already seen a number of events either cancelled or postponed. From the Great South Run in Portsmouth to the English Schools Cross Country Cup in Leeds and South of England Inter-Counties in Croydon, high winds and torrential rain have caused mayhem. It raises the question: is this cancel culture creating a nation of fair-weather athletes or are the decisions taken by organisers simply sensible and, ultimately, the right call?  Talk to old-timers and they will tell you that events were hardly ever cancelled 30 or 40 years ago. Yet, in recent years, every time a storm sweeps across Britain there are seemingly a wave of call-offs. The extreme weather events caused by climate change have been cited as the problem, yet event organisers are also under pressure like never before due to insurance and health and safety demands. Rigorous risk assessments have become commonplace for athletics events, while wider cultural changes have also resulted in people becoming more litigious and, in the case of many parents, cautious.

 “Every event will have its own reason for being cancelled,” says KEN BURKETT from the English Schools Athletics Association. “At the English Schools Cross Country Cup it was an issue to do with the well-publicised Storm Darragh coming in from across the Atlantic with high winds, yellow and orange warnings and it would have been irresponsible for us to say: ‘Yes, turn up and it’ll be fine’.

“The winds in Leeds that day were forecast to be more than 30mph and the course was more than 150m above sea level, so it would be even windier than that. The school, with their insurance hat on, said they were not allowed out in the fields so it was taken out of our hands, really. There were lots of old trees and they didn’t want them to come down on anybody. You are in the hands of the landowner at the end of the day. “The event is now on March 1 at the same venue [The Grammar School at Leeds] and we’re looking forward to it being a great event.”

 Whereas the English Schools Cross Country Cup featured teams of children racing on muddy fields, the Great South Run in October was due to see a record 23,000 people running on the roads of the south coast of England, but high winds made it too dangerous to go ahead. “The forecasted winds and gusts compromised our event infrastructure, including our medical facilities at the finish and around the course,” organisers said. “This, combined with high tide levels, potential debris and the exposure along the seafront mean that we couldn’t guarantee the safe delivery of the event. Safety of our participants, staff and volunteers is our number one priority.”

At the South of England Inter-Counties in Croydon, winds were causing the portable toilets to blow over. DAVID HARRIS from the South of England Athletics Association, said: “We were also not able to put up tents and gazebos at all, which were required for athlete registration, officials registration etc.”

BURKETT, who is also a geography teacher and long-time secretary of the Kent Schools Athletics Association, says portaloos almost certainly didn’t even exist at events many years ago. Neither did things like an event HQ, hi-vis jackets, radios, four-wheel drive vehicles or quad bikes to enable First Aiders out to various corners of a course. “Everything has become more professional these days but, due to this, we seem to have lost that element of adventure,” BURKETT says, before adding: “You see the old photos of runners wading through chest-deep water and clambering through barbed wire and it might have been fun, but it doesn’t mean we should be doing that any more. “Today there are organisers with radios, risk assessments and safety plans and it’s all impressively organised with dozens of people involved. Maybe we’ve made it more complicated than it ever was, but in the past we’ve seen accidents at track and field meetings with hammers and javelins hitting people so maybe the old days weren’t so good?”

It isn’t just cross-country, road and fell or mountain running races that have been affected by the winter weather. Even indoor events have been called off in recent seasons, such as the Scottish Championships at the Emirates Arena last month, with the owners of the venue making the decision following red weather warnings caused by Storm Éowyn. There are some, however, who have managed to largely avoid cancellations. JOE MOWER, the championship secretary for the English Cross Country Association, was involved in the postponement of the English National at Weston Park near Telford last year due to the car parks being flooded but he cannot recall overseeing any other call-offs during more than half a century in the sport. Similarly, GRAHAM FINLAYSON, organiser of the Cardiff Cross Challenge and recent British Universities (BUCS) Cross Country Championships, says: “Over all the years I have been putting on road and cross country races I have never had one cancel but it is getting harder to put on races. With the council, their paperwork gets bigger and bigger.”

A snowy Edinburgh in 2010

The BUCS Championships has not always gone ahead so smoothly, though. The 2009 event in Aberdeen featured on the cover of AW with the headline ‘snow joke’ after an unofficial race – won by ANDY VERNON – went ahead in defiance of the organisers, who had cancelled it due to heavy snowfall when many students were either already there or well on their way to Aberdeen. Among other things, Birmingham University paid around £12,000 to take a 98-strong team to the event. It led GEORGE GANDY, the long-time Loughborough coach, to say: “I didn’t think the word ‘cancel’ was in a cross-country runner’s vocabulary.” BUCS said at the time: “We believe teams put themselves at risk by running in conditions where it was unclear what was underfoot, as well as following aspects of a course which had  not been risk-assessed or had qualified officials or first-aid facilities on hand. “We appreciate that cross-country is a rigorous athletics event, but for those walking the course on Friday afternoon and subsequently on the Saturday morning the conditions were considered too dangerous to go ahead.”

Sometimes extreme weather surprises everyone and shows how dangerous high winds, heavy rain or cold temperatures can be. At the 2002 English Schools Cross Country Championships in Hylands Park in Chelmsford, a huge marquee was caught in blustery winds and blew over just before the final race of the day, with one athlete hospitalised and others treated for shock, minor cuts and bruises, although luckily no-one was seriously hurt.

Then there is the infamous 1972 English National Cross Country Championships at Sutton Park near Birmingham where there were numerous cases of hypothermia and an official died on the way home due to a heart attack thought to have been brought on by the cold. Conditions at the start of the day were fine but a fierce storm unexpectedly blew over the area during the day, causing carnage.

Given the nature of the challenges affecting event organisers, we approached the governing bodies for comment. England Athletics said: “At England Athletics, the safety of athletes, runners, officials and spectators is paramount. We are enormously grateful to the diligent work of our event providers – many of whom are volunteers – and work tirelessly to ensure the smooth and safe delivery of events for all. “Planning and organising events often involves making tough decisions, especially when it comes to cancellations or postponements. These decisions are not always as simple as just the condition of the course, though that can certainly play a major role if it’s flooded, frozen, or has fallen trees for example. Other factors such as agreements with venues or landowners, requirements of event insurance, the condition of car parking areas, and broader transport issues can also come into play. That’s why it’s so important for race organisers to use their risk assessments as a guide for making these decisions. These assessments take a complete view of all potential risks and help ensure decisions are made with safety, fairness and the overall event experience in mind. “While cancellations or postponements can be disappointing, and cause disruptions in the fixtures calendar, they are always made with the best interests of participants, spectators, and everyone involved in the competition.”

Of course it is not just high-profile national events that are affected. Rarely a week goes by when parkrun doesn’t suffer at least some cancellations. With their races unfolding in the far north-east of England, the Start Fitness North Eastern Harrier League has also faced its share of event cancellations or postponements in recent winters. VICKI THOMPSON, secretary of the league, says: “Yes, we’re increasingly hampered by the weather. It’s a combination of factors, even going back 20 years we had 20 to 30 senior women taking part, but at one of our most recent fixtures we had 342 women and 396 men. Add in all of the juniors and it makes car parking a weighty factor when arranging venues. We need parking for around 500-600 vehicles, so it’s a victim of its own popularity.

“This season our cancellations, or postponements really, were down to one car park being underwater and the other date was the weekend of the orange weather warning for heavy snow, making access to the site difficult. In previous years our car parking problems were mainly down to waterlogged areas. “We haven’t cancelled an event due to course conditions and, though we had a massive lake appear overnight at one venue, the event still went ahead with a re-routed course. “Thankfully most competitors are pretty understanding when we have to say an event can’t go ahead due to safety concerns. There are some runners who were around ‘back in the day’ when the events would have probably gone ahead, but they had the ability to park up wherever, and not really worry about overloading the local area with cars.”

 A recent online poll by AW asked athletes and coaches to tell us how many planned competitions or races had been called off or postponed in the past 12 months. A total of 44 per cent replied to say “at least one”, with 24 per cent suggesting they had suffered “several cancellations” and 32 per cent saying they had not encountered any cancellations. Not surprisingly, athletics isn’t the only sport affected, either. The Football Association estimates that around 120,000 games are lost each season due to weather-related problems, with three in four fans affected. In the last decade an estimated 13,000 overs of cricket have been lost every season and nearly two thirds of golfers reckon they have experienced extreme weather associated with climate change. CHRIS BOARDMAN, chairman of Sport England, said: “Climate change and sport are intrinsically connected. Whether it’s flooded pitches, water quality or extreme heat, few things have such an ability to depress physical activity. The status quo is no longer an option. We must tackle this seriously, quickly and most importantly, together.”

 One thing’s for sure, event cancellations are unlikely to go away. According to the Met Office, winters in the UK in 2070 will be up to 30 per cent wetter than they were in 1990 and rainfall could be up to 25 per cent more intense. So what are the conclusions? In athletics, it appears event organisers are often at the mercy of landowners such as local councils, schools or facilities. Decisions on whether to cancel, therefore, are often taken out of the hands of the officials. Events are undoubtedly better organised than they were half a century ago, but rigorous risk assessments, health and safety guidelines and the element of insurance has possibly led to a more cautious approach rather than the gung-ho attitude of yesteryear. When someone’s name is written on a document as the ‘event director’ or ‘safety officer’, they will potentially be liable if an accident happens. Ultimately, organisers also have a ‘duty of care’ to ensure everyone at their event is safe. Given this, it not surprisingly breeds nervousness. Finally, it’s clear that no event organiser ever wants to cancel. It is always a last resort.

SHAFTESBURY BARNET HARRIERS NEW INSTAGRAM ACCOUNT– Many thanks to SEAN SUTHERLAND who undertook a review on the best way forward, following this a decision was made to set up a new account, and SEAN has now set that account up.

THE FOLLOWING IS CLUB INFORMATION ON VARIOUS TOPICS

SBH 2025 SUMMER FIXTURE CARD – The SBH 2025 Summer Fixture Card will be issued in Mid March 2025. You can see all dates/venues for all leagues SBH participate in, and other major fixtures. These can be found folowing ‘Upcoming Fixtures’ above, and is titles ‘A look ahead to the Summer’.
Information on each fixture will be published in the SBH Weekly Newsletter as and when available, this is the link to the current and previous SBH Weekly Newsletters – https://sbharriers.co.uk/news/

SBH 2024-2025 CROSS COUNTRY POINTS RACES – Take place throughout the season, the final winners hve now been determined.
Link to the final Men and Women’s points tables, following the National Championships at Parliament Hill on 22 February –Mens Cross Country Points Tables 2024-2025 Final Issue 22-02-25     Womens Cross Country Points Tables 2024-2025 Final Issue 22-02-25

SBH 2024-2025 CROSS COUNTRY CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP RACES – Take place throughout the season, the final winners hve now been determined.
Link to the final Men and Women’s Club Championship winners, following the 25 January Southern Championships – SBH Cross Country Club Championship Winners 2024-2025 Updated 25-01-25

STONEX STADIUM MEMBERSHIP – To use the StoneX Stadium facilities for training, SBH members are required to pay a fee. You can register as a member (which is free) which then entitles you to a discount. This is the link to the form to apply for membership – SBH StoneX Membership 2024-2025  The entrance fee on the membership form, cover the period 1 May 2024 to 30 April 2025.

GEORGE HARRISON MBE MEMORIAL DOCUMENT – The document has been put together with contributors from LISA WEBB, MARTIN ROCHFORD, NADEEM SHAIKH, RACHEL FELTON, LIAM and JAMIE DEE, JAMES LOVELL, EMILIA ECONOMU, ALAN WELLER,  KAREN HARRISON,  TIM UNDERHILL, GLEN WATTS, JOANNA WINFIELD, SHAUN CLIFFORD and EUAN MACKENZIE – Shaftesbury Barnet Harriers Memorial To George Harrison From Friends And Members 20 April 2023
If you wish to contribute your own memories and/or photographs of GEORGE, please email them to me, either within the email or as a separate attached word document.

CODES OF CONDUCT – SBH have now adopted the UK Athletics (UKA) and the Home Country Athletics Federations (HCAF) Codes of Conduct which set out national standards of conduct for all clubs, coaches, officials, volunteers and athletes in the sport.  The purpose of the codes are to clarify what behaviours are acceptable and unacceptable, the standards of practice expected and the basis for challenging and improving practice.  The Codes are similar to our previous Codes of Conduct which were part of the previous ClubMark scheme.  All club member and anyone undertaking a relevant role must agree to abide by the codes of conduct. The Codes of Conduct have now been put onto our Website, please read these to understand the commitments you are making by being a member of SBH.
Link to the Code of Conduct document – Codes Of Conduct Booklet 2021 (1)

THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION OF INTEREST CAN BE FOUND ON THE SBH WEBSITE BY USING THIS LINK – http://sbharriers.co.uk/
Section ‘About Us’, includes Annual Reports, Best Performance Trophy Awards, Individual And Relay Best Performances By Year, Club Records and SBH All-Time Top 10 T&F Performances.
Section ‘Team Managers And Competitions’, shows details of Track & Field, Cross Country and Road Relays Team Managers.
Section ‘Future Information/Results’, includes Information On Each Fixture, Summer & Winter Fixture Cards, Winter X/C Points Tables and Winter Club Championships Winners.

SHAFTESBURY BARNET HARRIERS NEW CLUB KIT – They are now available to purchase from our club kit supplier, Supreme Sports – click on the link for the full range – https://www.supreme-sports.co.uk/webshop/schools-and-clubs/shaftesbury-barnet-harriers/
By opening the link, you will be on the front page, which displays the men’s items. Click on SBH LADIES for the women’s items, or click on SBH KIDS for the young athletes’ items.

CLUB HOODIES– With well over eight hundred hoodies already in circulation, this is your opportunity to join the club. The bright red hoody is made to order and has your name embroidered on the front along with the club badge and has the Club name on the back. We now have 2 styles, the original pull over style at £37 + P&P or the new one with a full zip at £40 + P&P.
Here is the link to the Supreme Sports website which if you click on it, will take YOU to the new Club Hoody and allow you to then view the full range of Club kit online – https://www.supreme-sports.co.uk/webshop/schools-and-clubs/shaftesbury-barnet-harriers/

ACCESS TO SBH CLUBHOUSE – The new Keyholders to the outside door are TY HOLDEN, CLYDE GORDON, NEVILLE THOMPSON, GREG THOMPSON, COLIN GODFREY and YAMILLE ALDAMA who all use the Clubhouse outside of normal stadium opening hours. GEOFF MORPHITIS and DAVE BEDFORD will also have a key. All other key fob holders can continue to gain access to the clubhouse via the (New) West Stand Entrance and the Trackside Door to the Clubhouse.
Link to note and details for further information – SBH Club House Door 20-01-23

PHOTOGRAPH’S – From time to time we have photographs of our members taken at meetings or presentations which we would like to use both on the website or incorporated within our report to our local newspaper. Can you please let me know if you do NOT want your photograph to be published. Also, I would appreciate if you could send me any photographs, which I can then publish on the website and newsletter.

FACEBOOK – Photographs can be found on the SBH page.

CAN YOU HELP PLEASE – I would welcome any contributions From Yourselves, any impending marriages, or additions to the family, any running or competing incidents, also past warm weather training/holidays (No Club 24 please). Currently the response has been excellent, but if you have anything that could make it into next week’s Newsletter – please email me.

CURRENT DISTRIBUTION OF SHAFTESBURY INFORMATION – Currently I notify members (by email) using “MailChimp”. The reason I changed, was in November 2017 “Gmail” put a limit of 100 addresses that users could send to in a 24-hour period, and currently I send to approximately 850 members each issue.

On seeking technical advice “MailChimp” was recommended as the best way for SBH to go forward. There is one thing you should be aware off is that when you receive an email from me, the footer at the bottom has 4 options, of which one is “Unsubscribe Me From List”. Could I ask you not to select this as if you do you will be automatically removed from my distribution list.

SBH MIDWEEK POLE VAULT CLUB AT STONEX STADIUM – The current arrangements until further notice are that Pole Vault training is on Monday’s and Wednesday’s from 18.30pm to 21.00pm. Please contact the session administrator CLYDE GORDON at clydeg67@hotmail.co.uk in advance and let him know if you are planning to attend.

SBH HIGH JUMPS GROUP AT STONEX STADIUM – High Jump training takes place on Monday’s from 19.00pm to 21.00pm. These sessions will be run by our High Jump Coach GRANT BROWN. There will be a charge of £10 per session.
Please contact the session administrator CLYDE GORDON at clydeg67@hotmail.co.uk in advance and let him know if you are planning to attend

SBH TRAINING AND COACHING – Please see the 2024-2025 Winter Fixture Card, which gives details of Training and Coaching – A SBH Winter 2024-2025 Fixture Card Front Sheet Issued 02-09-24

POLE VAULTERS REQUIRED FOR 2025 – To all athletes young & old – are you aware of the SBH Pole Vault sessions held at StoneX Stadium on Monday & Wednesday evenings from 18.30pm. We have room to coach more of you, why not come along and watch a session and the get involved – give it a try NOW.
Please contact the session administrator CLYDE GORDON at clydeg67@hotmail.co.uk for more details.

STEEPLECHASE TRAINING AT STONEX STADIUM – Check with your Coach for details of training times.

SBH PRIVACY STATEMENT – In becoming a member, SBH will collect certain information about you. Can you please read the attached ‘Privacy Statement’ which contains Information on General Data Protection Regulations – SBH Privacy Statement Final April 2018

STONEX STADIUM – Main Switchboard telephone number is 020 3675 7250.

STONEX STADIUM AWARDED TRACKMARK STANDARD – Congratulations on achieving the UK Athletics Quality Assurance Standards for StoneX Stadium. This is the letter from UK Athletics and certificate showing all area that achieved compliance – StoneX Stadium Award Letter 09.11.21StoneX Stadium Certificate

ALAN WELLER – SBH NEWSLETTER EDITOR AND WEBSITE MANAGER