Long jumper Jazmin Sawyers is streets ahead at Great City Games in Manchester
Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games silver-medalist Jazmin Sawyers leapt to an impressive victory when several University of Bath-based athletes competed in the Great City Games on Saturday.
Sawyers saved the best until last in the women’s long jump competition, staged on the streets of Manchester city centre, by clearing 6.44m into a head-wind to beat Holland’s Dafne Schippers by 4cm.
She tweeted: “Chuffed to bits to win. Love the street athletics set-up, crowd was so much fun!”
University of Bath graduate Danny Talbot was runner-up in the 150m to Churandy Martina of the Netherlands in 15.30m.
Lawrence Clarke, part of Malcolm Arnold’s training group at the university, was pleased with his third-placed finish in a 110m hurdles race which saw 2013 World Champion David Oliver take a tumble.
“I wanted to run 13.55 and I ran 13.57, so it was spot-on where I wanted to be,” said Clarke, who finished behind Cuba’s Orlando Ortega and London 2012 Olympic champion Aries Merritt.
“It bodes well for my next race in Hengelo, where the track is a bit harder and I will be a bit fitter and ready to hit the season properly.”
Training partner Eilidh Child clocked 26.23 to finish fourth in a 200m hurdles race won by close friend Meghan Beesley and also featuring heptathlon star Katarina Johnson-Thompson.
Olympic heptathlon champion Jessica Ennis-Hill made her return to competition at the Great City Games, finishing third in the 100m hurdles.
Picture of Jazmin Sawyers courtesy of Frank Augstein/AP/Press Association Images
