The pair secure automatic qualification places for this summer’s European Athletics Championships on home soil.
Izzy Fry and Joe Wigfield are already thinking about the prospect of competing in front of their home crowd at the Alexander Stadium in just a few months time.
After becoming British 10,000m champions in Loughborough last night (May 17), the duo secured automatic qualification places to represent Great Britain over 25 at the European Athletics Championships in Birmingham.
Both athletes have had stellar seasons thus far and set personal bests on the road. Fry clocked 15:17 over 5km in Monaco and 31:01 over 10km in Valencia, while Wigfield equaled Britain’s Rory Leonard’s 10km record in the Spanish city of 27:38 before extending his half-marathon best to 61:19 in Barcelona.
Fry, in a small but competitive field, saw off the challenge of Poppy Tank, Hannah Irwin and Clara Evans. As the rounds went down, it looked like it was going to be a battle between the three former athletes. The lead changed several times with Tank making the first move before Irwin responded in the closing stages.
The trio barely got anything going though, and Fry’s patience paid off in the final two laps, producing a charge that Tank and Irwin couldn’t match. In perfect conditions, the Brit stormed to the finish line to take the 10,000m title, finishing third behind Megan Keith and Kali Hauger-Thackery at last year’s event. Fry clocked 32:12.90 to Tank’s 32:15.30 and Irwin’s 32:22.57.
“This was the main goal of the year,” said Fry AW: after. “After witnessing the crowd and atmosphere at the Commonwealth Games a few years ago, I just wanted to be there myself, running this year. I don’t think you get opportunities like this many times in your career. I have three months to participate in the championships.
“It makes me think about it, and it makes me think about it. I was out in Rome a few years ago for the 5000m and it’s probably one of the most amazing races I’ve ever run. So now the experience again, but on home soil, will be truly special.
“I was in a very fortunate position to already have the standard. I felt sorry for Poppy and Hannah there because I didn’t have to do any work myself. I just wanted to make the race as easy as possible by sitting. I felt really good and it felt smooth.”
Wigfield secured his automatic qualifying spot in a deeper field and moved back to second overall behind Kadar Omar. In a thrilling encounter, Omar and Wigfield traded the lead for most of the race before Omar, a Birchfield Harrier who hails from Ethiopia and represented the World Athletics Refugee Team, kicked a few laps ahead to win comfortably in 28:29.38.
On her Champions debut, Wigfield came back in second place to secure the Great Britain 10,000m title with a personal best of 28:56.39. James Kingston was not far behind in 29:09.01 and Max Millarvey was third in 29:13.51.
“It worked out the way I really wanted it to,” Wigfield said. “The last few months have been quite mental. I owed it to myself to come and come here and choose an electoral seat for the Europeans. I wasn’t sure I enjoyed today too much because it was so hard.
“I think we need to work on my best distance. I love the way it all went and it was great to compete against some of the best in the world in the road season. You need to be a little more connected on the track because this is very important.
“You will always have support on home soil and I am excited to compete in Birmingham against some of the best European runners. One of the first races I ever watched was London 2012 and those races were amazing to watch, so if the atmosphere is anything like that, it’s going to be quality.”
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