Alastair Walker breaks world masters M65 10km record in Toruń

GB athletes gained medal momentum on Tuesday and Wednesday at the World Masters Champs with success in the 10km and on the track as Virginia Mitchell also broke a world mark at 400m

A day after his nation were remarkably beating Spain at football, Alastair Walker pulled off a more predictable Scottish victory as he won the world M65 title by over two minutes in a stunning world 10km record of 34:18.

Competitors such as Jaap Stijlarrt and Thomas Payne ran the sort of times normally good enough to win gold in this age group but were around half a mile back. Walker easily beat the M60 winner and even two of the three M55 medallists as well as all the women category winners.

These World Masters Indoor Championships are being held in Toruń, Poland, from March 26 to April 1 and include road and cross-country running competitions.

The other British male 10km winner was M75 Norman Baillie, who won gold by two minutes in 46:02 with Alan Appleby third, while Phil Brennan was second in the M80 category. Baillie had won the cross-country gold two days earlier.

The only UK womens winner was Sue McDonald, who, after a fourth in the 3000m and third in the cross-country, continued her progression as she started fast and held on to win in 38:53 from a below par European champion Clare Elms who took silver.

Ukraines Lyudmila Pushkina, who had done her training through the war, was a clear third in 42:26.

Pick of the womens winners, though, was Italian W50 Carla Primo who finished close to the overall womens winner Andreaia Santos of Portugal with 35:36.

While the other mens performance of note came from 2:07:36 Kenyan marathoner Keneth Mburu. He won the overall mens 10km race in 29:28 and he was followed in by fellow M45 Javier Diaz Carretero (31:26) almost two minutes adrift.

Mburu, who turns 50 in September and ran 2:13:39 at altitude in Nairobi last year, is a multiple winner of the Toronto and Gold Coast marathons and also won Milan and Prague and ran in the 2018 Commonwealth Games.

On the indoor track, Britains best moments on days three and four of the week-long championships came at 400m.

There was a dramatic W65 400m final. Caroline Powell was up against world record-holder and fellow masters sprint great Karla Del Grande, who had turned 70 after the championships had started and had set a W70 world record of 71.34 in her heat.

Del Grande was fractionally ahead at 200m in 32.33 but Powell led most of the second lap and continually fought off the challenge of the Canadian and as the latter made one last attempt to get by in the last 15 metres her legs went and she fell leaving Powell a clear winner in 70.55 with Del Grande getting back up to finish fifth.

Powell may have gained a gold but a few minutes later she lost a record. In her first year in the W60 category, Virginia Mitchell powered through the first lap in a fast 30.51 as she held off a challenge from Edel Maguire.

The Irish woman continued to press until 300m but Mitchell eventually eased clear and her 64.55 eclipsed Powells world and UK mark of 64.76.

John Wright narrowly failed to make it a British V60 world record double. After blasting through 200m in an extraordinary 24.70, he slowed on the second lap as his 55.65 just missed Harold Moriokas 55.62 set 20 years ago but took over a second off his 56.93 set three years ago.

Wright is 64 in the summer and he won by over three seconds from fellow Brit Michael Vassiliou who was timed at 59.24.

Gavin Stephens won the M45 two-lapper by a comfortable margin as his 51.30 came off a 24.02 opening circuit.

Kathleen Stewart easily won the W80 400m (96.30) with Iris Hornsey third.

Jane Horder, normally more dominant in the hurdles event, was a clear winner of the W60 60m in 9.16 ahead of Del Grandes 9.29.

Yvette Henry won the W45 60m in 8.03 with Karen Burles third in 8.09. That result was duplicated in the M80 with Allan Long winning easily in 9.36 with Anthony Treacher gaining bronze in 10.03.

Field medals are normally harder to come by for Brits but Paula Williams won the W50 javelin by half a metre with a 35.25m throw and Melanie Garland comfortably won the W60 long jump with a 4.44m leap and Martin Lloyd (2.04m) dominated the M40 high jump.

James Taylor took a rare weights gold as his 17.45m gave him M40 gold by two metres while Guy Dirkin, who set his PB of 56.40m when finishing sixth in the 1975 AAA Championships 48 years ago, narrowly won the M70 title with a 42.77m first round throw as 27cm covered the leading trio.

Dirkins throw moved him to second all-time among UK M70 throwers and he still ranks among Britains top 50 ever under-17 throwers with a 52.40m throw from 54 years ago!

Niabari Rutter won a lightly contended W35 triple jump with a 11.06m leap as three of the five competitors were Brits.

Nicola Alexis, the French sprinter who, like Powell and Del Grande, is also one of the top masters all-time, set world W60 60m records of 8.35 in her semi and then 8.33 in the final to gain a four-metre victory.

Swedens Lion Martinez won the M45 60m in a world record 6.95 0.02 quicker than the previous mark and Dominic Bradley was third in 7.12.

Pole Jerzy Jablonski improved his own M75 hammer throw world mark from 51.52m to 51.88m and Ukraines Antonina Tyshko set a record in the W75 3000m walk (20:02.57) and Portugals Maria Orlete Mendes (17:39.27) set new W70 figures.

Genowefa Patla, who competed in the Barcelona Olympics and threw 65.96m with the old model javelin, set a world W60 record of 41.14m.

Over the first four days of the championships, 51 different countries have won medals and currently Poland lead with 46 golds, 46 silvers and 38 bronzes ahead of Germany (42, 42, 57), USA (23, 20, 29) and Britain, after a slow start, are up to fourth (23, 20, 29).

Kenya are among the top 20 nations for the first time apart from the road successes they have also had more track competitors than normal including an M75 800m runner.

However a reminder of how indoor running is alien to some nations was brought home by Puerto Rican Neftali Sanchez doing a fifth lap of the 800m and being well into his sixth before an official stopped him going further.

For day one and two report and results click here

Results days 3 & 4 (March 28-29)

M35:
60: 1 M Yano JPN 6.88; 4 DUAYNE BOVELL GBR 7.07 (7.09 SF). Semi: MICHAEL DICKENS GBR 7.26; MICHAEL LOUISE GBR 7.39
400: 1 R Czyz POL 9.07
HJ: 1 T Turskis LTU 2.05; 2 TOM NICHOLS 2.00; 9 ANDREW NEAT GBR 2.00
PV: 1 D Schoeber GER 5.00
SP: 1 R Kownatke POL 17.35; 2 CRAIG CHARLTON GBR 16.25
WT: 1 M Omar UAE 17.28
10km: 1 M Vanotti ITA 31:38; 6 RICHARD WALDRON GBR 32:46

M40:
60: 1 A Echols USA 6.93; 8 SERIASHE CHILDS GBR 7.58 (7.30 SF). Semis: MARVIN EDWARDS GBR 7.32
400: 1 I Pinero Guzman ESP 50.17; 2 RICHARD BEARDSELL GBR 52.01
800: Heats: KEITH HUTCHINSON GBR 2:00.72; DAN ACHESON GBR 2:04.43
HJ: 1 MARTIN LLOYD GBR 2.04; 2 L Urban CZE 1.90; 8 CLINT NICHOLLS GBR 1.75
SP: 1 M Gasiorowski POL 14.81
WT: 1 JAMES TAYLOR GBR 17.45; 2 Z Skibicki POL 15.36
10km: 1 K Makos POL 31:44; 7 DAVID HESLOP GBR 34:13

M45:
60: 1 L Martinez SWE 6.95; 3 DOMINIC BRADLEY GBR 7.12 (7.20 SF); 4 MENSAH ELLIOTT GBR 7.18 (7.28 SF); 8 JOSHUA WOOD GBR 7.49 (7.42 SF). Semis: STUART CHANNON GBR 7.53; CIARAN HARVEY GBR 7.53
400: 1 GAVIN STEPHENS GBR 51.30; 2 H Van Rhee NED 52.22
800: Hts: DAVID LOCKER GBR 2:05.53; PAUL HARMER GBR 2:06.07
HJ: 1 N Portemer FRA 1.85
PV: 1 F Dymen SWE 4.05; 10 GRANT STIRLING GBR 3.00
SP: 1 A Dittmar GER 17.43
WT: 1 D Korhonen SWE 15.88
10km: 1 K Mburu KEN 29:28; 2 J Carretero ESP 31:26; 3 G Kujawski POL 31:39

M50:
60: 1 J Mack USA 7.26; 7 JOE APPIAH GBR 7.57 (7.49 SF)
400: 1 M Naidoo RSA 53.31
800: hts: STEVE BALDOCK GBR 2:08.05
TJ: 1 S Tari ITA 13.06
SP: 1 P Penaz CZE 14.99
DT: 1 H Maryniak GER 51.64; 7 PAUL DERRIEN GBR 42.93
10km: 1 D Toal IRL 33:02; 8 JOSE ANTONIO GONZALEZ ARMAS GBR 35:08

M55:
60: 1 C Warburton CAN 7.59 (7.58 SF)
400: 1 C Fausti ITA 54.04
800: Hts: ADRIAN HAINES GBR 2:11.27; ROB McHARG GBR 2:11.81; CRAIG JOHNSTON GBR 2:15.71
TJ: 1 J Escalera PUE 12.96
DT: 1 M Stolarczyk POL 46.69; 13 LEROY GOLDING GBR 31.76
PEN: 1 T STEWENS GER 3987
10km: 1 P Poblocki POL 34:05; 7 CHRIS UPSON GBR 36:56

M60:
60: 1 A Tissenbaum USA 7.71 (7.64 SF). 3 PAT LOGAN GBR 7.90 (7.83 SF, 7.81 ht)
400: 1 JOHN WRIGHT GBR 55.65; 2 MICHAEL VASSILIOU GBR 59.24
800: hts: JED TURNER GBR 2:22.23; SEAN PRICE GBR 2:25.87; ANDY GANNAWAY GBR 2:25.44; DAVID CLARKE GBR 2:26.49
TJ: 1 J Quinaliza ECU 12.04; 3 JULIEN GITTINS GBR 11.11
HT: 1 L Kowalksi POL 54.64; 9 JOHN MORELAND GBR 41.27; 10 ALLAN LEIPER GBR 38.87
10km: 1 I Kasprzak POL 34:53

M65:
60: 1 V Barnwell USA 7.94. Semi: CLEMENT LEON 9.03
400: 1 G Zorn GER 57.99; 3 TENNYSON JAMES GBR 60.29
800: hts: PAUL FORBES GBR 2:29.38; PETER MOUNTAIN GBR 2:34.96
HT: 1 L Noluveau FRA 51.04; 6 IAN COOLEY GBR 37.11
PEN: 1 W Musial POL 4245; 4 BRIAN SLAUGHTER GBR 3686; 9 CLEM LEON GBR 2734
10km: 1 ALASTAIR WALKER GBR 34:18 (WR); 2 J Stulaart NED 36:49; 3 T Payne IRL 37:13; 6 BRIAN GREEN GBR 39:28; 10 ALAN NEWMAN GBR 47:18

M70:
60: 1 M Kish USA 8.24; 3 SIMON BARRETT GBR 8.54
400: 1 M Soru ITA 63.20; 4 BARRETT GBR 66.08; 6 ADRIAN ESSEX 69.67
DT: 1 GUY DIRKIN GBR 42.77; 2 M Gryc CZE 42.62
HT: 1 W Krankowski POL 47.06; 4 GUY DIRKIN GBR 42.26
PEN: 1 M Mielcarek POL 3488
10km: 1 R Qualls USA 41:12; 5 RON CATTLE GBR 42:35

M75:
60: 1 C Allie USA 8.79
400: 1 R Paesani ITA 66.17
DT: 1 A Busterud NOR 40.46
HT: 1 J Jablonski POL 51.88 (WR)
PEN: 1 V Cela LAT 40.08
10km: 1 NORMAN BAILLIE GBR 46:02; 2 A Rodriguez ESP 48:19; 3 ALAN APPLEBY GBR 49:37; 5 GEOFF NEWTON GBR 50:06

M80:
60: 1 ALLAN LONG GBR 9.36 (9.65 ht); 2 J Tennasilm EST 9.77; 3 ANTHONY TREACHER GBR 10.03 (10.03 ht)
400: 1 J Esnault FRA 77.52; 3 TREACHER GBR 84.17
DT: 1 H Parn EST 29.19; 8 JAMES SLOAN GBR 21.72
HT: 1 R Cahners USA 37.47
PEN: 1 N Back SWE 2828
10km: 1 G Maillard FRA 48:51; 2 PHIL BRENNAN GBR 52:25

M85:
60: 1 K Schmid GER 9.79
400: 1 A Cano Alcolea ESP 93.86
DT: 1 E Odlund SWE 30.06
HT: 1 W Krifka AUT 38.26
PEN: 1 P Makkonen FIN 2836
10km: 1 K Wittig GER 55:50

M90:
60: 1 H Tanaka JPN 10.95
400: 1 D Carr AUS 1:42.02
DT: 1 J Blair NZL 16.18
HT: 1 C Pluszczewski POL 20.83

M95:
HT: 1 L Helle FIN 6.88
JT: 1 Helle FIN 9.50

W35:
60: 1 S Wiss SWE 7.62; 4 STACEY DOWNIE GBR 7.97 (8.01 ht); SHEREEN CHARLES GBR 7.97 (7.93 ht); 6 JOANNE RYAN GBR 8.22 (8.16 ht); 7 MICHELLE WATSON GBR 8.25 (8.45 ht)
400: 1 A Ferra GRE 55.67; 2 STACEY DOWNIE GBR 58.66
TJ: 1 NIABARI RUTTER GBR 11.06; 2 S Borgess POR 10.54; 4 DEBORAH DASH GBR 10.35; 5 DASH NEWINGTON GBR 10.20
JT: 1 J Stulajterova SVK 40.75; 4 LAURENSA BRITANE GBR 36.13
3000W: 1 M Niewerko POL 17:22.50; 4 DASH NEWINGTON GBR 17:42.97
10km: 1 A Santos POR 34:58

W40:
60: 1 A Dillon (IRL) 7.81 (7.70 ht); 2 LISA BOLAND GBR 7.83 (7.82 ht)
400: 1 O Koppen GER 59.11; 6 CLAIRE SPURWAY GBR 65.22
TJ: 1 M Foster AUS 11.62
JT: 1 T Osapchuk UKR 35.45
3000W: 1 G Njue KEN 14:15.19
10km: 1 S Bousaid TUN 35:31; 2 A Lund USA 35:32; 6 MADELINE ARMSTRONG PLIETH GBR 41:38

W45:
60: 1 YVETTE HENRY GBR 8.03 (8.12 SF, 8.11 ht); 2 V Parvanova BUL 8.07; 3 KAREN BURLES 8.09 (8.13 SF, 8.12 ht) Hts: LINZIE MARSH 8.66
400: 1 A Quaid IRL 58.51; 3 SUSIE McLOUGHLIN GBR 59.91
TJ: 1 S Kramer GER 11.82
JT: 1 L Apolosova UKR 38.64
3000W: 1 B Schenker GER 14:46.02; 6 CAROLYN DERBYSHIRE GBR 16:44.71
10km: 1 Z Quinn IRL 36:46

W50:
60: 1 E McGowan USA 8.32; 4 MICHELLE THOMAS GBR 8.52 (8.50 ht); 6 FIONA DAVIDSON 8.65 (8.73 ht). Hts: WENDY ANDREWS GBR 9.15
400: 1 E McGOWAN USA 60.83
JT: 1 PAULA WILLIAMS GBR 35.25; 2 A Zahn GER 34.67
3000W: 1 A Savarese ITA 15:23.45
10km: 1 C Primo ITA 35:36; 2 C McCourt IRL 39:22; 3 J Andrzejewska POL 41:17; 4 VAL WOODLAND GBR 42:34; 7 SIAN FINLAY GBR 45:28

W55:
60: 1 J Brims NES 8.25; 8 JULIET SIDNEY GBR 8.90 (8.88 ht); heats: FIONA STEELE GBR 9.20
400: 1 E Colas SWE 65.14
800: Heats: ANNA CRITCHLOW GBR 2:33.56
JT: 1 D Schimek USA 40.42
WT: 1 M Klein-Raber GER 15.89
3000W: 1 N Best GER 15:34.88
10km: 1 SUE McDONALD GBR 38:53; 2 CLARE ELMS GBR 39:55; 3 l Pushkina UKR 42:26

W60:
60: 1 N Alexis FRA 8.33 (WR) (8.35 ht (WR)); 5 MELANIE GARLAND GBR 9.35 (9.30 ht). in ht: ANGELA KELLY GBR 9.64; SANDRA MITUSCH GBR 9.72
400: 1 VIRGINIA MITCHELL GBR 64.55 (WR); 2 E Maguire IRL 65.95; 5 CHRISTINE ANTHONY GBR 73.36
800: hts: MITCHELL GBR 2.53.54. ELKE HAUSLER GBR 2:56.34; SHARYN RAMAGE GBR 2:57.08; ANTHONY GBR 2:57.71
LJ: 1 GARLAND GBR 4.44; 2 M Escribano Checa ESP 4.26; 8 GAYE CLARKE 3.76
JT: 1 G Patla POL 41.14 (WR)
WT: 1 E Rinne FIN 15.12; 8 CLAIRE CAMERON GBR 11.41
3000W: 1 C Garcia Frontons ESP 17:41.0
10km: 1 E Fustella ITA 40:27

W65:
60: 1 JANE HORDER GBR 9.16 (9.20 ht); 2 K de Grande CAN 9.29; 4 CAROLINE POWELL GBR 9.43 (9.38 ht); 8 JOAN TRIMBLE GBR 21.79 (9.62 ht)
400: 1 CAROLINE POWELL GBR 70.55; 2 G Tolfes SWE 71.58
LJ: 1 L Vives-Jorba ESP 4.09; 3 CAROLE FILER GBR 3.97
WT: 1 E Herzig GER 14.42
3000W: 1 J Flipsen CAN 17:54.30
10km: 1 P Moran IRL 42:20

W70:
60: 1 E Bartosik POL 9.93 (9.87 ht); 3 ANNE NELSON GBR 10.19 (10.26 ht); 5 CAROLINE MARLER GBR 10.43 (10.21 ht); 8 JEAN FAIL GBR 11.07 (11.01 ht)
400: 1 A Micheletti ITA 79.53; 2 MARLER GBR 82.71
LJ: 1 E Piret FRA 3.59; 6 EMILY McMAHON GBR 3.07
JT: 1 R Rajamaki FIN 24.51
WT: 1 E Nohl GER 12.12
3000W: M Orlete Mendes POR 17:39.27 (WR)
10km: 1 M Goettnauer GER 45:58; 5 JANE GEORGHIOU GBR 51:34; 6 ROS TABOR 53:53

W75:
60: 1 I Meier GER 10.04
400: 1 E Widelund SWE 98.68
LJ: 1 M Dahler-Stettler SUI 2.94
JT: 1 J Kilmesova CZE 22.94
WT: 1 I Faldager DEN 13.32; 4 ROSEMARY HUTTON GBR 9.05
3000W: 1 A Tyshko UKR 20:02.57 (WR)
10km: 1 M Nittel GER 57:06

W80:
60: 1 R Dijkman NED 10.94; 4 IRIS HOLDER GBR 12.02
strong>400: 1 KATHLEEN STEWART GBR 96.30; 2 R Dijkman NED 1:44.39; 3 IRIS HORNSEY GBR 1:51.52
LJ: 1 B Gadle SWE 3.08; 3 IRIS HOLDER GBR 2.49
JT: 1 K Viitanen FIN 21.62
WT: 1 K Viitanen FIN 11.98
3000W: 1 L Schickert GER 24:28.13
10km: 1 J Maillard FRA 59:10

W85:
60: 1 S Yamakaw Imoto (BRA) 11.53; 2 DOROTHY FRASER GBR 13.89
400: 1 J Rosinska POL 2:52.36; 2 ELIZABETH FINLAY 3:22.92
JT: 1 E Frackowiak POL 9.07
WT: 1 S Yamakawa Imoto BRA 8.02
3000W: 1 E Antritter GER 38:50.0

W90:
JT: 1 G Krug USA 8.01
WT: 1 G Krug USA 5.76