Loughborough athletes dominate the university outdoor championships with amazing three days of action in Manchester
By Kitty Shepherd-Cross
The greatly anticipated BUCS Outdoor Athletics Championships took place over the past bank holiday weekend (May 4-6) in Manchester’s Regional Arena. The three days of action showcased stellar talent and did everything to test the stereotype of ‘university chillers.’
There was a strong theme this weekend, as dissertation deadlines and exam season loomed, laptops were out in the stands, headphones were on and Turnitin accounts were loading.
Producing an impressive list of personal bests so early in the season, athletes performed their big juggling act – combining higher education demands with rigorous athletic training. The results? Well, they suggest this provides the perfect harmony for success.
The weekend kicked off on Saturday (May 4), with a full day of heats before the glory days commenced.
Sunday saw the first medallists crowned, as Stephen Baffour from De Montfort University won gold in the men’s 100m with a sensational time of 10.44.
Baffour says that his win was only the start of his season’s goals, as he now sets his sights on qualifying for the Paris Olympics.
Stephen Baffour (Paul Bannister)
Names predicted destiny in the women’s 100m final, as former GB teammates and best friends, Joy Eze (Newcastle University) and Success Eduan (Salford University) took gold and silver in 11.49 and 11.52.
‘Joy and Success’ epitomised the pairs celebrations and achievements as they embraced on the line to celebrate their BUCS medal haul.
Joy Eze and Success Eduan (Phil Bannister)
Shortly after former para-swimmer and triathlete Adam Donnachie, from Stirling University, proved his impressive transition to para-throwing, as he won gold in the seated shot put, reaching a championships record of 8.91m.
Donnachie says his background in swimming developed essential shoulder strength which he’s translated to a successful throwing career.
Adam Donnachie (Phil Bannister)
Monday kicked off with the highly contested men’s 5000m race.
Training partners Will Barnicoat and Tomer Tarrigo, both studying at the University of Birmingham, replicated their BUCS cross country success as they once again came away with gold and silver.
This time however Tarragona did not let Barnicoat out of his sight, producing a mighty kick, with Barnicoat just taking the win in 14:17.29 ahead of Tarragona in 14:17.63.
The pair…
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