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It’s a good night in Vienna for Adeniran
Julian Adeniran (left) in action during the men's 110m hurdles final during the Aviva UK Trials and Championships at the Alexander Stadium, Birmingham. Photo: PA Archive/Press Association
DEEPING hurdler Julz Adeniran received the perfect Olympic boost when he improved his personal best (PB) twice in the space of four days.
The 23 year-old, who is desperately hoping to attract sponsorship to help him continue to train at a level needed to reach the very top, first lowered his 60m hurdles PB to 7.81 at the London Senior Games at Lee Valley on Saturday.
He then improved it further to 7.75m when representing England at the Indoor Classic in Vienna on Tuesday.
Adeniran believes he may have gone even faster but, having lowered his PB in the heats, he withdrew from the final due to a quad muscle injury only to watch everyone run even quicker than they had done in the heats.
He said: “I felt a bit of a twinge in my quadricep after the heats and felt it was the sensible thing to do to pull out of the final, but everyone improved their times in the final and I’m sure I’d have run faster too.
“I’ve got the National Indoor Championships next week and that is my main goal for the winter so I decided not to take the risk.”
Adeniran has competed at three meetings this year, equalling his PB in the first and then breaking it at the next two, and he could hardly have asked for things to have gone any better.
He added: “I’ve been really encouraged by how well my indoor season has gone so far. Obviously the Olympics is my main goal this year but I’m looking for a good UK Indoors as my target for the winter and I’d like to improve on my fourth place of last year.”
The encouraging thing is Adeniran has been improving his PB despite less than perfect performances so when everything comes together technically who knows just how fast he will run.
He described his opening round display at Lee Valley as ‘one to forget’ after dawdling out of the blocks but an hour later he blasted to second place in 7.81 - despite hitting the final three hurdles.
Three days later he reduced that to 7.75 to leave him fifth on the UK rankings.
Adeniran hopes his excellent early season form will prompt local businesses to back his bid to qualify for the London Olympics, saying: “I’m doing all I can to make it to the Olympics.
“I have confidence in my ability and I’ve certainly got the work ethic needed to reach the top, it’s just hard trying to compete when you’re not on a level playing field racing against guys who receive Lottery funding.”
Anyone wishing to sponsor Adeniran can contact him at j.adeniran@live.co.uk.
2012 UK 60m hurdles rankings
7.66 Andy Pozzi
7.67 Lawrence Clarke
7.70 Gianni Frankis
7.74 Andy Turner
7.75 Julian Adeniran
Local results from Lee Valley
Senior men
400m - Round One: Race Seven - 2 Yan Yao (Hunts) 54.90; Race Eight - 4 Adam Fidgett (Nene V) 56.50; Round Two: Race One: 3 Yan Yao (Hunts) 54.23).
800m - Race Seven: 2 Pete Downhill (Hunts, MV40) 2.06.97.
60m hurdles - Round One: Race One - 3 Julz Adeniran (Shaftesbury) 7.91; Race Five - 3 Adam Fidgett (Nene V) 9.88. Round Two: Race One - 2 Julz Adeniran (Shaftesbury) 7.81; Race Six - 4 Adam Fidgett (Nene V) 9.85.
Shot - 8 Jon Edwards (Hunts) 11.10.
Under 20 men
60m hurdles - Round One: Race One - 4 Max Everest (Pboro) 8.22; Round Two: Race One - 3 Max Everest (Pboro) 8.25.
Senior women
200m - Round One: Race two - 2 Nichola Gibson (Pboro) 27.71.
400m - Round One: Race Three - 3 Nichola Gibson (Pboro) 62.53.
Under 20 women
400m - Round One: Race One - 6 Georgie Ivens (Nene V) 61.27.
n SPALDING sprinter Chris Craig was also selected for the England team in Vienna but was forced to withdraw two days earlier due to illness.
Craig, who was due to represent England for just the second time - having previously competed in Budapest four years ago - was gutted to have to pull out but admitted: “I’d rather be ill now than during the outdoor season.
“There’s never a good time to get ill and I was really looking forward to representing England again but hopefully there will be more opportunities in the future,
“I’ve picked up a bug and it’s possible I won’t race again during the indoor season - or at most I’ll run once - but hopefully a good outdoor campaign will make up for this disappointment,”
n MARCH ace Louise Hazel, who has already achieved the Olympic qualifying standard in the Olympics, opens her 2012 season at the Birmingham Indoor Games this weekend.
The Commonwealth heptathlon champion will compete in the 60m hurdles, high jump and the shot.
It’s a big year for Hazel, who is set to complete the full set of competing in all four major championships having already represented her country at the European Championships, World Championships (twice) and Commonwealth Games.
And as well as competing well on the track, she is determined to get herself noticed off it.
Having appeared on the Jonathan Ross Show last month, she recently got her kit off for a photoshoot due to appear in lads magazine GQ.
Hazel posed in ‘just a pair of skimpy pants’ and described the pictures as ‘very revealing and athletic’.
n NENE Valley Harrier Emily Maltby recorded personal bests in the 60m and triple jump when impressing at the Keith Ward Indoor Open at King’s Lynn. Clubmate David Bush was also in fine form.
Local results
Senior men
60m - 1 David Bush (Nene V) 7.7.
60m hurdles - 1 David Bush (Nene V) 9.7; 2 Nathan Smith (Nene V, U20) 11.1.
High jump - 4 David Bush (Nene V) 1.55.
Long jump - 3 David Bush (Nene V) 5.25.
Shot - 2 David Bush (Nene V) 9.69.
Under 20 men
60m - 2 Nathan Smith (Nene V) 8.2.
High jump - 1 Nathan Smith (Nene V) 1.65.
Long jump - 1 Nathan Smith (Nene V) 4.83.
Triple jump - 1 Nathan Smith (Nene V) 10.09.
Under 15 boys
High jump - 1 Jamie Horne (Pboro) 1.65.
Over 45 women
Pole vault - 1 Sandra Pedley (Hunts) 1.70
Under 20 women
60m - Heats: 1 Emily Maltby (Nene V) 8.1; Natasha Segal (Nene V) 8.5; Final: 2 Emily Maltby (Nene V) 8.2; 4 Natasha Segal (Nene V) 8.7.
Long jump - 2 Emily Maltby (Nene V) 4.59; 3 Natasha Segal (Nene V) 4.29.
Triple jump - 1 Emily Maltby (Nene V) 10.04.
Under 17 women
60m - Heats: Helen Chapman (Nene V) 8.5; Kia McMurray (Nene V) 9.3; Final: 5 Helen Chapman (Nene V) 8.6.
Under 15 girls
60m - Heats: Jennifer Smith (Nene V) 9.0; Final: 5 Jennifer Smith (Nene V) 9.2.
Shot - 3 Jennifer Smith (Nene V) 6.17.
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