The veteran British athlete impresses again in one round.
Caroline Powell, the British Masters’ most prolific single lap record holder, made more history last weekend when she improved her own European W70 record at the Masters Open at Yate near Bristol (June 28).
Already the British W55 (61.55), W60 (64.31), W65 (68.67) holder, he improved his own European W70 record from 73.49 to 73.12, beating athletes 30 years his junior.
Powell set her previous European best at the 2024 World Championships in Gothenburg, eclipsing the still-standing W70 world record of Chile’s Sara Montequinos of 70.62.
Perhaps it was only the wind that denied Powell’s approach to the extraordinary feat of matching his age (72) with his 400m time. W60 record holder Sue Macdonald of the USA ran 61.73 at the age of 61, which is considered the age mark of the best masters in the 400m.
European W45 Masters champion Liz Amos was the fastest woman overall of the day with a time of 62.09.
Powell also matched Helen Godsell’s British W70 record later in the 200m, clocking 31.81, but the 2.2m/s wind pushed her slightly over the limit.
Claire Elms, who holds all the W45-W60 UK 1500m and mile records, extended her position as the world’s oldest woman by breaking five minutes for the 1500m. In a largely solo race at the age of 62 and six months, his 4:57.30 clocking left him half a second short of the W60 world record. She was the first woman for more than 15 seconds.
M65 400m indoor world champion Richard White was just over a second off his British 300m hurdles record of 46.36 in a time of 47.17.
European 300m hurdles champion Sarah Lodes improved her PB to 47.00 in a good battle with fellow W50 Louise Oldfield (47.44). Jane Horder’s 19-year-old British best of 46.19 might have been under threat but for the swirling wind. Horder himself won the W65 hurdles in a wind-assisted 13.98.
European Masters M65 shot put champion Alan Leiper won the shot with a throw of 13.62m. W60 Ruth Bird (37.67m) and W65 Karen Jones (35.69m) were chosen from the women’s hammer throwers. Michael Deakins was fastest of the M40 100m runners, clocking 11.46.
