ANOTHER LIFETIME BEST ANNIHILATED!

Lifetime best performances have been shattered left, right and centre this year for several Trackspeed1-UK athletes but, on Saturday, Crawley AC's Niclas Baker took it to a whole new level.

It was late in May that new quarter mile discovery Fred Afrifa provide a spectacular breakthrough in winning the Surrey County title with a scintillating 48.61s run, cracking the sub-50 barrier for the first time.  Well on Saturday (June 20th), Nic joined that club and cracked that barrier alright!

Competing in the Southern League for his new club, Crawley AC, he recorded 49.3s for the individual event, taking a full second off his previous fastest ever time of 50.24s, but that was just a taster of what was to come!

Niclas Baker - decimated his previous lifetime best time
over the 400m, at Crawley, last Saturday.

In the 4 x 400m relay he took over in second place some 20 metres down on the lead.  That gap was soon shortened, and at the line it was Nic who breasted the tape first.  Most spectacularly though, he had recorded an official split time of 47.6s for his leg -almost three seconds faster than he had ever covered the distance before that match!

"It was only going to be a matter of time until Nic bade farewell to 50-second laps," said coach John Powell, "but I don't think anyone thought he would put in a shift like that quite so soon.

"Nic has had his fair share of injuries this year, and that is why he hasn't returned to hurdling, but I think he has unearthed another individual event in the 400m that he may have to consider prioritising in the future - or maybe add hurdles to it!"

Fred Afrifa had been in action the same day at the England under-20 championships, in Bedford, and reached the semi-finals, but was under-par due to a nightmare return journey from Italy the week before.  It had taken a lot out of the tank and it was clear in the heats that he was not on tip-top form.

The world of athletics - and several of Trackspeed1-UK - now turn their attentions to Birmingham in ten days' time where the British Championships / World Championship Trials take place on July 3,4,5.  After that there will be the final phase of the domestic season featuring some significant meetings including the Loughborough European Permit meet.