Pickering thunders to sprint win
Craig Pickering romped to an impressive victory over more illustrious rivals Mark Lewis-Francis and Jason Gardener in the Norwich Union 60m in Glasgow.
Britain’s Pickering clocked a personal best of 6.55 seconds from lane six to beat compatriot Gardener (6.70) and American Ernest Wiggins (6.71).
Lewis-Francis finished fourth in a season’s best time of 6.76.
“I’ve been working really hard through the winter and it’s coming to fruition so I’m really pleased,” said Pickering.
The 20-year-old European junior 100m champion showed he has the ability to challenge for a medal at the European Indoor Championships in Birmingham in March.
But he added: “There’s a lot of work to do before now and then. It was everyone’s first race this year except mine so they’re probably a bit rusty.”
Seen this guy smoke Jason Gardner in training recently so knew it was going to be the end of the road for JG. The fact that Pickering beat both JG and MLF both of who ran awful times means that unless JG retires this year MLF may be out on his ear next year in terms of funding. Also my swedish babes are doing ok today (way to go girls )
Gardner isn’t training at the same intensity as before. He had a fractured wrist bone for over a year and has had to change his weights program to protect the injury. The poor man is a walking infirmary. He has n’t been able to lift anywhere close to the intensity that he would like. According to Athletics Weekly he has been warned by doctors to protect his wrist when he crashes into the mats at the end of a 60m race otherwise he may not be able to do things we all take for granted such as driving.
It’s his first race. He will get better. I hope he comes back. I want the UK to have at least 5 guys under 10 seconds! Problem is you have to be realistic! But don’t worry about Jason he will play his part in the future british sprinting (watch this space in a year or two). But you have to be realistic 6.7 and we are 2 weeks away from the trials before you even get to the Euros - he’ll have to improve to even make the team.
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