Thursday 24 May 2018

SPRINTERS ON FIRE!

To say it has been a positive start to the 2018 summer season appears to be something of an understatement, after lifetime bests were shattered at Lee Valley last might (May 23rd)!

They may have had positive wind readings on their tail, but with major championships still a few weeks away, Trackspeed1-UK athletes competing in a Lee Valley Athletics Centre Open meet underlined just the sort of 'on fire' form they are in right now.
Brandon Murray - in form of his life at Lee Valley
Brandon Murray, who was forced to pull out of the Loughborough International on Sunday (May 20th) at the last minute due to work commitments, made amends by clocking his fastest 100 metres of his life by far of 10.62 seconds.

That was in race 3 while, in race 2, Dean Hylton clocked a windy 10.54 seconds, most notable as he out-dipped England and Senegal international Josh Swaray, who has times below 10.3 to his name, and was also ahead of former inter-counties champion Jonathan Browne.

Rhys Francis, Daryl Thomas and Chaka Maillet were also circling their best ever 100m sprint times, but will have to wit until another day to record a wind-legal time but, as their coach, John Powell, commented, all the indications are that they are all ready to improve significantly this season.

"These were really good performances at a time in the season where confidence is all important," he said.  "We have a while yet before the big meets, but to get a couple of really good performances under your belt at this stage is always a very good springboard."

This weekend shows no competition for the squad, and so they will be looking to further improve their potential with some training sessions at their training base at Crystal Palace.

That said, Welsh international Cameron Starr opens his account over 200 metres tonight (May 24th) at Portsmouth, where he will be looking to emulate his training group's successes 24 hours earlier.
Welsh international Cameron Starr opens his 2018
account over 200m in Portsmouth tonight (May 24th)

Monday 14 May 2018

COUNTY DOUBLE FIRES UP SPRINT DUO

Trackspeed1-UK sprinters opened their championship campaign for 2018 with a sensational one-two in the Surrey County 100m final, securing both Gold and Silver in a hotly contested event at Kings Meadow, Kingston on Sunday (13th May).

Dean Hylton (6) and Cameron Starr (13) on their way to an
impressive County one-two at the Surrey Championships.
Dean Hylton was no stranger to the county rostrum, having won bronze, three silvers and now two golds over recent years, but he had to fight to retain his title from last year with training partner Cameron Starr hot on his heels.

In the heats both athletes cruised through to qualify, winning heats in each case comfortable ahead of all the opposition.

In the final, Starr was the sharper out of the blocks, and was leading after 60 metres, but Hylton switched on the after-burners to overtake and win the title by just under a tenth of a second.

Dean and Cameron receive their medals alongside
third-placed Tremayne Gilling
It marked a perfect opener for two of Trackspeed1-UK's most talented athletes and, although times were not the fastest they have ever posted, it lined them up nicely for their next outing at the annual Loughborough International next Sunday (20th May).

Trackspeed1-UK Head Coach, John Powell, was pleased with the outcome with both athletes recording times far faster than their opening campaign 12 months earlier.  Hylton clocked 10.72s, while Starr recorded 10.80, both faced with a slight headwind.

"It's always nice to kick things off in the summer with winning performances," said John, "and a County one-two, especially in Surrey, is no mean achievement.  I would fully expect both Dean and Cameron to improve now as the season progresses, and I'm really looking forward to seeing quite a few of the group in action now.

"As always, we've had a challenging winter at times with the weather curtailing some sessions, but we still have athletes in pretty good shape, and they are ready to roll over the next couple of weeks."

The squad have athletes in action at the open meeting at Lee Valley this Wednesday (May 16th), and Brandon Murray joins Hylton and Starr at the Loughborough international event on Sunday.

It's all smiles as Head Coach John Powell congratulates his two medalists