Katie Snowden went to the Tokyo Olympic Games to race for Team GB in the women’s 1500m and ran the two fastest times of her life so far on the biggest stage that exists in athletics.
She kicked off with a controlled looking PB of 4:02.77 on Monday placing 6th in her heat (if she didn’t feel all that great she disguised this amazingly well) for automatic qualification to the her semifinal on Wednesday. This proved to be the fastest women’s 1500m semifinal in Olympic history and Katie ran so well again to finish 9th of 13 and only just missed her brand new PB as this time she clocked 4:02.93, but also missed out on a place in the final.
Proud is a word that can sometimes be over used, but in terms of Katie’s performances in Japan proud isn’t strong enough to convey how much of a credit she has been to her family, her friends, her club, her support team and those from the local community and from further afield who have demonstrated some wonderful support.
Katie will be hoping there is still more to come before an already excellent season in which she has moved to a new level is fully signed off.
Later in the same day of Katie’s semifinal HHH had athletes at the BMC Regional meeting at Eltham where weather conditions were decent and very nice things were being said about Katie’s Tokyo performances by some very good and experienced coaches.
Arlo Ludewick ran a great PB of 1:53.64 in winning the C 800m race and would not have been out of place in the A race.
Fiona de Mauny continued an amazingly (and maybe also frustratingly) consist series of races as she clocked 2:13.11 in her 800m, ahead of fellow HHH athlete, under 20 Annabel Hobday who ran 2:14.48 just outside her PB. Steph Mitchell ran in the open races and ran 2:27.87 for 3rd in her race.
In the 1500m races Mike Cummings ran a season’s best of 4:02.57 to claim fastest club member of the day by a fraction, while GB Junior international Phoebe Anderson ran a huge PB of 4:26.63 to go 2nd on the HHH all time under 20 women’s list ahead of a certain Olympian at that age.
Zoe Tompkins ran in an open 1500m and recorded a good PB time of 4:41.50.
Geoff Jerwood