PHOEBE Gill has already hit the headlines this season and now she has written herself into the British Milers Club history books with her win in the opening Grand Prix at Sportcity.
The 17-year-old not only won her first GP A race but she also broke Alexandra Bell’s BMC women’s only 800m record of 1:59.28, set last year at Birmingham University, with her time of 1min 58.08secs.
Furthermore, Phoebe’s time was also a BMC All-Comers record, eclipsing the mark of 1:58.92 that Australian Abbey Caldwell ran when winning at Sportcity a year ago. Only Laura Muir has run quicker with her 1:57.23 but in a mixed race at Trafford in 2022.
Phoebe’s time was only a whisker outside her PB of 1:57.86, which stunned the athletics world when she won the Irish Milers Club meeting in Belfast just a few weeks ago.
“It was nice to get another sub-two minutes under my belt and that is so cool to learn I broke the BMC record, I didn’t realise that at the time,” said Gill.
“I remember running this race last year when the top two women broke two minutes (Caldwell and Ireland’s Ciara Mageean) but some others fell and I ended up having to jump over them like in a steeplechase!
“I was disappointed with that (she finished sixth in 2:06.37).”
Fast forward a year and it is amazing to record that Saturday’s race also produced a further series of notable achievements.
Mageean, who was closing fast, was rewarded with a new Irish record of 1:58.51 which is a great encouragement to her having only just touched down from a period of altitude training in Europe.
Erin Wallace also ran a PB of 1:59.20 which meant the top three all ran inside the qualifying standard for the Olympic Games in Paris this summer.
Furthermore, Matthew Fraser-Moat, who is the BMC treasurer and has been involved in the club since 1990, confirmed that Saturday was the first time three women have broken two minutes in the same race.
“It took the BMC 55 years to get our first sub 2 minutes 800m in 2017 then a further five years until 2022 to get two women sub 2 in the same race,” said Matthew.
“Now in 2024 we have three women sub-2 minutes for the first time in the same race.”
No little thanks should go to the pacemaker Seren Bundy-Davies, who had been highlighted by Steve Green in our preview, for the excellent job she did even if the split of 54.9secs was a little faster than requested.
“I had intended to go through 57/58seconds pace but I think we both made a mess of the pace and…
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