ATHLETICS: Walcott-Nolan continues to make tracks

Coached from the age of 10 by Gordon Addison, the 21-year-old St Mary’s University student has recently been advised by former Olympian Matthew Yates with startling results.

In January she won the South of England AA 800m indoors at Lee Valley stadium in 2.10mins before improving this time to 2.03.48mins in Vienna at the end of the month, a time only one second short of the qualifying time for the World Indoor Championships.

She then ran 1,500m at the Sainsbury’s British Championships and World Trials, while in only her second race indoors at the distance, she reached the final to finish fifth in 4.18.91mins, 10secs quicker than her personal best which she set outdoors five years ago.

Yates is no stranger to the distance as a former European gold indoor 1,500m medallist who feels this could be her strongest event but must be more than satisfied with his charge who is presently topping the National U23 rankings in that distance and the 800m.

On the same day the club’s cross country season came to an end with the English National Cross Country Championships held at Donington Park near Derby as exceptionally large fields provided a great spectacle on a heavy undulating course.

In the Senior ladies race, Rosie Keane made light work of it however finishing an excellent 23rd out of 800 runners with Claire McMahon- Adie defying her veteran status by finishing 92nd.

Ben Winfield continues to improve finishing in a commendable 35th in the U15 boys race.