European Athletics (EAA) – News – Farah and Lagat shine at Great North CityGames

The Aviva Great Britain and Northern Ireland team was beaten by the USA in the annual GB v USA Great North CityGames match in a 6-3 scoreline, but there was a string of impressive performances on the Newcastle-Gateshead Quayside.

A total of nine match events and one guest competition entertained packed crowds around the River Tyne.

Ending his season with yet another victory, double Olympic champion Mo Farah took the two-mile invitational race, which kick-started the afternoon's action. Farah clocked 8:40 to finish ahead of US Bobby Curtis 8:43 and Australian Collis Birmingham who also clocked 8:43.

Bernard Lagat showed his experience winning the one-mile race in 4:01.62 ahead of James Brewer 4:01.81. In the long jump, Chris Tomlinson leaped to superb 8.18m (-0.1) beating gold medallists Greg Rutherford 7.89m (+1.4) and Christian Taylor (7.74 +1.5) with Will Claye (7.60 +0.6).

Wallace Spearmon clocked 15.13m (+0.7) in the 150m ahead of Marlon Devonish 15.20. World champion Jason Richardson closed his season with 13.41 (+1.2) ahead of Ryan Wilson 13.48 and Lawrence Clarke 13.57.

Bouncing back from exiting the first-round heats of the Olympic 100m and 200m in London, Anyika Onuora sped to a superb 16.70 British record in winning the 150m, smashing her previous best by two-tenths of a second in the process.

World silver-medallist Hannah England could not defend the one-mile road title she has won on the past three occasions, but performed well to finish in second, despite still suffering from the Achilles injury that derailed her Olympic preparation.

The Olympic semi-finalist clocked 4:35.56 behind American Brenda Martinez (4:34.99), with 1500m World Champion Jenny Simpson back in fourth.

 European Athletics (EAA) – News