Super second for Sophie Kamlish as athletes return to London 2012 stadium
University of Bath-based sprinter Sophie Kamlish, pictured, finished a superb second on her return to the former Olympic Stadium in London for the Sainsbury’s Anniversary Games.
The 18-year-old, coached by Rob Ellchuk at the Sports Training Village, produced a strong performance to finish runner-up to World and European champion Marlou van Rhijn in the T44 100m in front of a large home crowd on Sunday.
Kamlish – who was sixth in the event at the London 2012 Paralympic Games – clocked 13.66, while van Rhijn set a new stadium record of 13.04.
Sunday’s Anniversary Games athletics action was part of the National Paralympic Day celebrations, which also saw Aquae Sulis Performance Swimming Club’s Stephanie Millward make a competitive return to the London Aquatics Centre where she won five medals at the 2012 Paralympic Games.
Back in the athletics stadium, Saturday had seen Jazmin Sawyers – who does some of her training at the University of Bath – produce a consistent series of leaps to finish runner-up in the long jump.
Saywers’ best clearance was 6.66 and it needed a new British record of 6.98 from Shara Proctor to deny her victory. Heptathletes Katarina Johnson-Thompson and Jessica Ennis-Hill were fourth and seventh respectively.
Friday night’s action had seen Andy Robertson, coached by Dan Cossins, line up against Olympic and World champion Usain Bolt in the 100m heats.
Robertson was seventh in 10.19, while Jamaican superstar Bolt won in 9.87 – a time and result he repeated in the final.
Danny Talbot, a training partner of Robertson, was sixth in the 200m in 20.56. Victory went to British rival Zharnel Hughes won in 20.05.
Despite the wet conditions, Eilidh Child – coached by Malcolm Arnold – was just two-hundredths of a second outside her season’s best as she finished fourth in the 400m hurdles in 54.48. World champion Zuzana Hejnova of the Czech Republic won in 53.99.
Management Masters student Lawrence Clarke also went close to his fastest time of the season as he finished fourth in his 110m hurdles heat in 13.41. He went on to finish eighth in the final in 13.67 after clipping a couple of hurdles early on.
Sports Performance student David King, coached by James Hillier, was seventh in his heat in 13.68.