Thursday 16th April 2009

LOUGHBOROUGH Alumnus Vicki Barr began her outdoor season with a set of fine performances in California as the tall elegant 26-year-old Beijing Olympian competing over 100m and 200m at the Pomona Oitzer Invitational meeting in Claremont on April 4th clocked 12.09 and 23.82secs respectively.

The following weekend (April 11th) the Rugby & Northampton athlete, coached by Jarod Deacon, having graduated from Loughborough University in 2005 with a degree in Sport Science and Management was in action at the UCLA RJ/JJK Invitational Meeting in Los Angeles, clocking 12.00 for the 100m and 23.70 for the 200m despite the windy conditions.

http://sdc.lboro.ac.uk/shownews.php?news_id=956&cat_id=16&level=1

Photo by Nigel Farrow.

Wednesday 1st April 2009

A large group of Loughborough’s middle distance runners are fine-tuning their preparation for a packed summer of competition at a four week pre-season training camp in South Africa.

Coaching supremo George Gandy is directing a group of 21 Loughborough athletes, including Commonwealth Champion Lisa Dobriskey and World University Games medallist Charlotte Best, at the month-long camp in Stellenbosch ahead of the Berlin World Championships.

The squad comprises 10 current Loughborough students, 10 locally resident alumni and one other local resident.
Top performers include:
Charlotte Best (800m) - 3rd World University Games & 4th in Olympic Trial
Dani Christmas (800m) - former Commonwealth Youth Champion, 4th National Indoors
Rachel Stringer (800m) - 2nd Commonwealth Youth Games, 6th National Indoors
Lisa Dobriskey (1500m) - Commonwealth Champion, 4th Olympic Games
Louise Whittaker (1500m) - former European Under 23's finalist
Stevie Stockton (1500m) - Olympic Trials finalist, 6th European U20's 3k
Laura Kenney (5000m) - European Under 23 Champion, 3rd in Olympic Trial
Sonia Samuels (3000m S'chase) - 5th in Olympic Trial, 8th-ranked UK all-time
Ricky Soos (800m) - Olympic semi-finalist 2004
Ben Green (800m) - 3rd AAA Under 23 Champs, twice National Senior Champs finalist
Rob Whittle (1500m) - 9th in Olympic Trial
Chris Parr (1500m) - 6th place European U20 Champs
Nic Samuels (1500m) - Northern Indoor Champion, 7th in National Indoor Champs
Frank Baddick (1500m) - 4th in British Universities Champs
Gary Bradbury (1500m)- twice English Schools Champion

Tuesday 24th March 2009

SONIA SAMUELS, who is coached by Loughborough University Director of Athletics George Gandy has been added to the British senior women's team for the 37th IAAF World Cross Country Championships that take place in Amman, Jordan, this Saturday (28th March), replacing the injured Freya Murray.

Samuels, who hails originally from Wallsend and is now a part-time teacher in Leicestershire, is a former National Under-20 cross-country champion (1999), is 8th-ranked on the UK all-time list for 3,000m Steeplechase, and recently placed third at the Saucony National Cross-Country Championships at Parliament Hill. She last represented Great Britain at senior level in 2001.

www.amman2009.com