Masters Athletics has many exciting moments – another thing that makes these Championships special. It is great following athletes and witnessing them accomplishing great things. Emmanuelle McGowan, USA, ran 1:01.23 to become W50 400m world champion. Emmanuelle duplicated that feat today by running 1:00.83! Caroline Powell, W65, GBR, was also running in the same 400m final as she did in 2019. She and Karla Del Grande, CAN, were again in an epic race for the top podium spot. Caroline prevailed this time in 1:10.55. Virginia Mitchell, GBR, the 2019 champion, won the W60 400m in 1:04.55, a world record.
Perhaps, Jerzy Jablonski, POL, had the toughest conditions of the Championships to set a world record. Jerzy threw 51.88m in the cold, wet conditions with remnants of the morning snow, to surpass the M75 hammer throw world record. Lech Kowalski, M60, POL, threw 54.64 in the second round to take the top podium spot which silver medalist, Gottfried Gassenbauer, AUT, earned in 2019. Waclaw Krankowski, POL, and Simo Ekholm, FIN, threw 47.06m and 46.74m respectively in the fifth round to take M70 gold and silver. Competing in his eightenth Championship, Lembit Talpsepp, M70, EST, placed seventh. Heimo Viertbauer, M75, AUT, Knud Høyer, M75, DEN, and Richard Watson, M70, USA, competed in their sixteenth Championship placing third, fourth and nineth respectively.
3000m racewalk world record setters, Maria Orlete Mendes, W70, POR, and Antonina Tyshko, W75, UKR, the 2019 W70 champion, had much better conditions indoors. 2016 Olympian, Grace Wanjiru Njue, KEN, became W40 World Champion. Kathleen Frable, W75, USA, competing in her 19th Championship, took silver on the same day she placed 5th in 400m. Australians, Lynne Schickert, W80, earned gold in her fifteenth Championship and Heather Carr, W70, placed sixth in her sixteenth Championship.
David Carr, M90, AUS, 2022 WMA Best Male Athlete won his 400m contest. 2005 WMA Best Female Athlete, Rietje Dijkman, W80, NED, earned silver in her 400m race. Esther Colas, ESP, Roxanne Brockner, USA, and Carol Kearney, IRL, battled for the top podium spot in W55 400m. They ran 1:05.14, 1:05.23 and 1:05.45 respectively. Radoslaw Czyz, M35, POL, ran 49.07 ahead of 49.39 by Gabriel Faye, SEN for the top podium position. Moses Naidoo, RSA, and Juan Luis Lopez Anaya, ESP, also had a close race in M50 with Moses, 53.31, toping Juan, 53.51. Multi-Championship participants also did well in 400m. Miloslava Rocnakova, W75, CZE, bronze, and Angel Cano Alcolea, M85, ESP, gold, were participating in their seventeenth Championship. Vincenzo Felicetti, M70, ITA, earned bronze in his fifteenth Championship.
WMACi2019 W70 weight throw champion, Eva Nohl, GER, threw 12.12m, farther than the 11.67m she threw in 2019, to repeat as W70 World Champion. Ingrid Van Dijk, W60, NED, competing in her eightenth Championship, took 2nd. Hazel Barker, W60, GBR, competing in her sixteenth Championship, placed 15th. Competing in their fifteenth Championship, Carol Finsrud, W65, USA, placed 4th and Inge Faldager, W75, DEN, won gold.
Loles Vives-jorba, ESP, jumped consistantly and her best, 4.09m kept her ahead of silver medalist, Ruth Raaflaub, SUI, 3.99m, and bronze medalist, Carole Filer, GBR, 3.97m in the W65 long jump contest. First and second was equally tight in W70 where Eliane Piret, FRA, topped Ulrike Hiltscher, W70, GER, 2019 W65 Champion – 3.59m to 3.49m. Martin Lloyd, GBR, cleared his opening height, 1.90m, on his first attempt in the M40 high jump to start a string of first attempt clearances through his gold medal winning 2.04. Ladislav Urban, CZE, Robert Wolski, POL, and Tomasz Zydorkiewicz, POL, all cleared 1.90m to take 2nd, 2nd and fourth respectively. 1996 and 2000 Olympian, Mattias Sunneborn, SWE, edged Stefano Tari, ITA, 13.06m to 12.97m to take the M50 triple jump competition.
