Personal records tumble for British athletes on day six of World Athletics Championships

Despite no medals being picked up, the British team had a strong day at the Bird's Nest Stadium in Beijing

Personal records tumble for British athletes on day six of World Athletics Championships
Asher-Smith and Hughes prove British sprinting is in rude health (image via: newsfisher.io)
tom-hiscott
By Tom Hiscott

Super Saturday's golden trio are again the toast of the British Athletics team after winning yet again on the world stage. 

Jess Ennis-Hill, Mo Farah and Greg Rutherford have each picked up golds already at this 2015 World Athletics Championshipsand despite the medal hauling staying the same after day six, there were some mightily impressive individual performances from some of Britain's youngest stars in Beijing on Thursday. 

British sprinting in rude health with Hughes & Asher-Smith

British sprinting now has two legitimately world class athletes in their ranks, with Zharnel Hughes and Dina Asher-Smith

Hughes, who trains with Usain Bolt amongst others, finished fifth in the final of the 200metres on Thursday with a new personal best time of 20.02 seconds. 

At the age of just 20, Hughes has a massive future in the sport, and finishing fifth in his first world final will stand him in good stead for the rest of his career. 

Hughes was not the only British athlete to break their 200m personal best on Thursday, with Asher-Smith following suit in her semi-final. 

The European Junior champion from 2013 was the fastest qualifier for Friday's final with a time of 22.12 seconds, just 0.02seconds behind the British record of Kathy Cook which has stood since 1984. 

Asher-Smith will be one of the medal favourites for tomorrow's final, where she will battle for 200 metre supremacy with Jamaican Elaine Thompson, and the Netherlands, Dafne Schippers, most likely breaking the British record in the process. 

Hitchon just misses out on spectacular bronze

Another Brit who really upped her performance on Thursday was hammer thrower Sophie Hitchon, who extended her British record by nearly a metre at the Bird's Nest. 

Hitchon's previous best was 72.97 metres, yet the 24-year-old twice went further than that mark, throwing 73.65 metres in the fourth round, before ending her series with a throw of 73.86 metres. 

Her final throw saw her finish just 17cm's outside of the medals, finishing fourth behind France's Alexandra Tavernier, who threw 74.02 metres with her first attempt. 

Poland's Anita Wlodarczyk won gold with a new Championship record throw of 80.85 metres, which was only just short of her own world record (81.08). 

Hitchon summed the competition up perfectly, "As an athlete it feels hard – because fourth is the agonising place but honestly I couldn’t have done anything more.

"Two national records, two PBs in one competition – I loved it out there and it bodes well for the future."

Oskan-Clarke runs career best to qualify for 800 final

Shelayna Oskan-Clarke has given herself the opportunity of a world medal after qualifying for the final of the woman's 800 metres.

Oskan-Clarke won her semi-final with a new personal best time of one minute, 58.86 seconds.

That time see's her move up to ninth on the all-time British list, and it was the first occasion where she had dropped under the two-minute mark. 

The 25-year-old said, “I’m so happy it seems to have come together at the right time. I feel like I’ve been capable of it for a while.

"It’s just trusting in my ability, being here with the team, training with everyone, being in such great condition."

Unfortunately, Oskan-Clarke was the only qualifier for the 800 final, after fellow British athletes Lynsey Sharp and Jenny Meadows fell just short in their semi-finals. 

Earlier in the morning session on day six, Tiffany Porter (12.73) and her younger sister Cindy Ofili (12.97) both qualified for the 100metre hurdle semi-finals.