Reebok Challenge: Liverpool
(Juniors)
AGE was no barrier last Saturday when a 14-year-old girl and a 50-year-old man scored remarkable victories at major cross country races. Firstly, Emily Pidgeon defeated athletes five years her senior to win the under-20 event at the European Trials in Liverpool.
The prodigious Pidgeon does not celebrate her 15th birthday until June 1 next year. Yet she romped away from 18-year-old Dani Barnes, the European junior 1500m silver medallist, to win by six seconds.
FORMER world 10,000m champion Liz McColgan warned against getting carried away with the achievements of Emily Pidgeon.
McColgan, who was at the trials staged at Sefton Park watching her daughter Eilish finish third in the under-13 race, was massively impressed by Pidgeon's victory, which was unquestionably the performance of the weekend.
But McColgan, twice a Commonwealth Games gold medallist and a former London Marathon winner, admitted she had one or two 'reservations' about her achievements.
McColgan said: "The girl is obviously a real talent and is pretty amazing.
" My only reservation is she is so young. I would be more impressed if she is running like this in five years' time," she added, alluding to the fact success is one thing as a youngster, but is more important at an older age.
"But," McColgan added, "it is nice to see talented youngsters working so hard and taking their opportunities."
RESULTS:
Under 17/Under-20 Women: 1 14.28 Emily Pidgeon (Gloucester AC); 2 14.34 Dani Barnes (England); 3 14.39 Faye Fullerton (Havering & Mayes) 4 14.41 Laura Kenney (England); 5 14.39 Aine Hoban (Wakefield Harriers); 6 14.49 Ruth Proctor (City of Norwich AC); 7 14.55 Charlotte Best (Crawley AC); 8 14.57 Jennifer Pereira (Medway & Maidstone AC); 9 14.59 Kathryn Frost (I.O.W AC); 10 15.01 Katrina Wootton (Bedford & County AC); 11 15.03 Abby Westley (Hallamshire Harriers); 12 15.05 Claire Holme (Ipswich Harriers); 13 15.09 Bryony Frost (England); 14 15.12 Nicola Sykes (Leighton Buzzard);
Under-15 Girls: 1 09.53 Non Stanford (Swansea Harriers); 2 09.55 Stephanie Twell (Aldershot, Farnham & District) ; 3 09.59 Kirsty Hamilton (Changing Club); 4 10.03 Emma Pallant (Aldershot, Farnham & District) ; 5 10.03 Rachel Pounds (Bolton United Harriers); 6 10.07 Emma Langdell (Royal Sutton Cold); 7 10.09 Jordan Kinney (Royal Sutton Cold); 8 10.10 Ashlie Murray (Pitreavie); 9 10.14 Danielle Walker (Burnley AC); 10 10.14 Siobhan Coleman (Pitreavie); 11 10.15 Abbie Williamson (Newquay & Par); 12 10.16 Laura Bache (Tipton Harriers); 13 10.23 Stacey Preston (Aldershot, Farnham & District); 14 10.25 Gillian Moss (West Norfolk AC); 15 10.26 Laura Evans (Bury AC); 16 Natalie Grant (Rotherham Harriers); 17 10.28 Danielle Walker (Royal Sutton Cold);
Under-13 Girls:
1
10.06 Sarah Hopkinson
(Gloucester AC); 2
10.14 Lucy McLoughlin
(Stockport AC); 3 10.17
Eilish
McColgan (Dundee
Hawkhill Harriers); 4 10.24
Louise Webb (Southampton
City AC); 5
10.24 Jessica Hicks (Newquay & Par); 6
Abigail Salter
(Aldershot, Farnham & District) ; 7
10.28 Rhea Ellis
Southport Warterloo); 8
10.28 Josephine Moultrie (City of Glasgow);
9 10.29 Blue Haywood (Lincoln
Wellington)
Under-17 Men:
1
16.06 Kelvin Hardy (Ipswich
Harriers);
2
16.16 Alex Felce (Gloucester
AC);
3
16.19 Richard Newton (Preston
Harriers);
Under-15 Boys: 1 08.50 Alex Derricott (City of Stoke AC); 2 08.54 Ross Millington (Stockport Harriers); 3 09.02 Derek Hawkins (Kilbarchan AAC); 4 09.04 Jack Tyler (Medway& Maidstone AC)
Under-13 Boys: 1 09.42 Ben Coldray (Gloucester AC); 12.15 Matthew Jackson (Warrington AC); 2 09.43 Steven Barber (Stockport Harriers); 3 09.43 Miles Hollinshead (Larkhall YMCA Harriers)
