The fourth edition of the MarketAxess Tooting BMC meeting was the best yet. Around 1000 packed the arena to witness Olympians competing alongside top club athletes, a real smorgasbord of delightful vignettes.
The meeting witnessed ground records in six of the seven events, Men’s 800m, 1500m, 3000m and 3000m s/c, and the Women’s 800m and 1500m. With winning times of 1.45/1.59, 3.34/4.09, and 7.49/9.00 respectively for 800-3000m, M/W, and 8.20 for M3000m s/c, all seven events featured top end performances.
Revee Walcott-Nolan stormed to victory and a PB in the Women’s A 800m, ahead of two other athletes who will also be competing in Tokyo, and the British UK 1500m champion. This was the best ever BMC W800m race, with first to eighth in the range 1.59.05 to 2.00.19, and the latter ranking 18th on the BMC all time!
Ian Hodge, UK Athletics statistician, questioned whether Jake Wightman and Ben Pattison, who eventually prevailed, gave ‘us the race of the year over 800m, in GB’ with one hundredth separating them at the finish line. Only Ben (ranked second behind Seb Coe on the UK all time), and Max Burgin have gone quicker on the BMC all time.
The M1500 has established itself as a blue ribbon event at Tooting, having hosted 15 of the top 20 all-time BMC performances, with 48 athletes on the day going sub 3.50. This year’s A race was again superb, with a winning time for Adam Fogg of 3.34.11, an outdoor PB. This was a BMC members record, and the second quickest ever time in a BMC event, ahead of Thomas Keen 3.35.22 and Nick Griggs 3.35.25, and great young prospects Henry Jonas and George Couttie, both 3.36s.
The Women’s 1500m had a stacked field, with the winner improving the ground record established last year by Kate Axford. Berenice Cleyet-Merle, 4.09.63, led a fully international podium, with Yolanda Ngarambe second and Carmen Cernjul third, ahead of Abigail Ives and India Weir.
Both 3000m races were highly competitive. We witnessed the first ever sub 7.50 performance at Tooting, with a win for Simas Bertasius, 7.49.72, ahead of Jack Kavanagh and two other athletes who were also inside the old ground record. There was a great battle at the front of the women’s 3000m between Colleen Quigley, a USA Olympian, who eventually prevailed, 9.00.33, and HHH’s Georgie Grgec and Lucy Jones. It was fitting that we were able to award Georgie Club Honours Membership on the night, presented by 1984 Olympic Silver Medallist, 3000m, Wendy Sly, MBE.
The M3000m s/c produced a barnstorming end to the evening’s entertainment, with athletes targeting World Championship QT of 8.15.00. None achieved this, but we did witness the three fastest ever times in a BMC meeting, a UK M35 record, and the fifth quickest time by a British athlete in more than 25 years. Phil’s 8.20.15, was followed by Parker Stokes, 8.20.72 and Duncan Hamilton, 8.21.62, both USA athletes.
A huge thanks to our sponsors, MarketAxess, the athletes, spectators, officials and helpers on behalf of the organising team.
Results may be found here https://www.britishmilersclub.com/result/tooting-20-aug-2025-results/
All photos courtesy of Graham Smith
Keith Newton 10/09/2025