Hunt and Glave Secure British 100m Titles
Amy Hunt successfully defended her British 100m title, while Romell Glave captured the men's 100m crown for the first time on Saturday at the UK Athletics Championships in Birmingham.
Hunt recorded the second fastest time of her career, finishing in 11.01 seconds on the opening day of the championships held at Alexander Stadium.
Although reigning European champion Dina Asher-Smith had a stronger start in the final, Hunt, aged 24, surged ahead to claim victory.
Asher-Smith finished second with a season's best time of 11.13 seconds, and Mabel Akande secured third place with a personal best of 11.18 seconds.
The European Championships are scheduled to take place at the same venue from 10-16 August. Addressing the audience, Hunt said:
"This was a nice dry run for the Europeans so if you can come out and be my lucky charm again, we can get another gold."
In the men's final, Glave had a strong start. Despite Zharnel Hughes making a late surge, Glave, a two-time national champion, had built a sufficient lead to secure victory.
Glave, who ran a wind-assisted 9.88 seconds in Italy last month, legally broke the 10-second barrier for the first time with a winning time of 9.98 seconds.
Hughes finished second with a season's best of 10.01 seconds, followed by Louie Hinchliffe in third (10.03 seconds) and Jeremiah Azu in fourth with the same time.
Glave, 26, commented on his performance:
"I just came here running with freedom, and a person that's running with freedom is dangerous. I put myself in that field and executed my best race."
Tearful Triumph for Clarke-Khan
Olympic 800m champion Keely Hodgkinson participated in the 400m event to improve her first-lap speed.
Charlotte Henrich won her heat with a personal best of 51.20 seconds, while Hodgkinson qualified for Sunday's final with a time of 51.62 seconds (scheduled for 16:06 BST).
Matthew Hudson-Smith, the 2024 Olympic 400m silver medallist, won his heat in 45.24 seconds, becoming the fastest qualifier for the men's final (scheduled for 15:48 BST).
One of the stadium stands has been named in honor of Hudson-Smith, a Wolverhampton native based in the United States, for both the national and European Championships.
Hudson-Smith expressed his enthusiasm:
"I love being here. I put the bat signal out yesterday, 'I'm back in Birmingham!' Everyone wanted to see me.
"I just want to go out, but I've got a job to do, then after I will go and see people."
Joel Clarke-Khan won the men's high jump by equaling his personal best, shedding tears of joy after the achievement.
Having won three outdoor British titles between 2020 and 2023, Clarke-Khan faced an 18-month period of injury struggles due to toe problems.
After securing the national indoor title in February, the 26-year-old continued his strong season by clearing 2.27 metres in Birmingham.
Reflecting on his performance, Clarke-Khan said:
"That is something I've dreamed about forever really. It's been a really long journey back from 2022. I'm just over the moon to be here today like this.
"I've been working so hard for this moment. The 2.27 really makes me believe that I'm back to where I've been before, so I'm really excited for the future."
Marcia Sey set a championship record in the 100m hurdles with a time of 12.65 seconds, while Elise Thorner broke her own championship record in the 3000m steeplechase, finishing in nine minutes 16.95 seconds.
Lawrence Okoye dominated the men's discus event, setting a championship record with a throw of 68.81 metres. Stephen Mackenzie established a Scottish record in the men's long jump with a distance of 8.15 metres.
