1979 UK Athletics Championships

1979 UK Athletics Championships
Dates11 & 12 August 1979
Host cityBirmingham, England
VenueAlexander Stadium
LevelSenior
TypeOutdoor
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The 1979 UK Athletics Championships was the national championship in outdoor track and field for the United Kingdom held at Alexander Stadium, Birmingham, England.[1]

It was the third edition of the competition limited to British athletes only, launched as an alternative to the AAA Championships, which was open to foreign competitors. However, because the calibre of national competition remained greater at the AAA event, the UK Championships this year were not considered the principal national championship event by some statisticians, such as the National Union of Track Statisticians (NUTS). Many of the athletes below also competed at the 1979 AAA Championships.[2][3]

Summary

Two athletes claimed a third straight title: Geoff Capes in the men's shot put and Meg Ritchie in the discus throw. Athletes to claim a second consecutive UK title were David Black (10,000 m), Chris Black (hammer throw), David Ottley (javelin throw), and Sue Reeve (long jump). Heather Hunte won her first titles in the 100 metres and 200 metres, beating out Kathy Smallwood and Beverley Goddard in both events.[2]

The main international track and field competition for the United Kingdom that year was the 1979 European Cup. The secondary status of the UK event at national level was indicated by the fact that the six individual medallists at the European competition were all absent from the championships in Birmingham. Several of the European women's relay medallists did compete however, including Hunte, Smallwood and Joslyn Hoyte-Smith.[4][5]

Medals

Men

Event Gold Silver Bronze
100m Trevor Hoyte10.40 David Baptiste10.47 Scotland Cameron Sharp10.51
200m Earl Tulloch21.06 David Baptiste21.21 Scotland Cameron Sharp21.24
400m Steve Scutt47.01 Terry Whitehead47.19 Rod Milne47.22
800m Dane Joseph1:49.16 Rob Harrison1:49.22 Pete Browne1:49.66
1500m Alan Mottershead3:43.31 Scotland John Robson3:43.52 Mike Downes3:43.65
5000m Steve Emson13:36.53 Julian Goater13:39.37 Bernie Ford13:39.78
10,000m Dave Black28:46.03 Scotland Jim Brown28:58.00 Peter Standing28:58.88
110m hurdles Mark Holtom13.95 Scotland David Wilson14.29 Wilbert Greaves14.37
400m hurdles Gary Oakes50.76 Roger Bell52.22 Phil Beattie52.24
3000m steeplechase Scotland Gordon Rimmer8:39.15 John Wheway8:43.33 Graeme Fell8:46.75
High jump Scotland Brian Burgess2.13 m Ossie Cham2.10 m Alan Dainton2.05 m
Pole vault Brian Hooper5.40 m Allan Williams4.90 m Scotland Graham Eggleton
Scotland Allan Leiper
4.50 m
Long jump Daley Thompson7.69 m Roy Mitchell7.64 m w Len Tyson7.34 m
Triple jump Aston Moore15.72 m David Johnson15.70 m Tony Wadhams15.38 m
Shot put Geoff Capes19.00 m Mike Winch17.62 m Ian Lindley16.66 m
Discus throw Richard Slaney55.32 m Dennis Roscoe51.40 m Geoff Tyler51.38 m
Hammer throw Scotland Chris Black66.68 m Paul Dickenson65.06 m Matthew Mileham63.06 m
Javelin throw David Ottley74.72 m Brian Roberts72.88 m John Trower70.14 m

Women

Event Gold Silver Bronze
100m Heather Hunte11.30 Beverley Goddard11.37 Kathy Smallwood11.43
200m Heather Hunte23.15 Kathy Smallwood23.18 Beverley Goddard23.30
400m Joslyn Hoyte-Smith52.24 Michelle Probert53.54 Scotland Karen Williams53.74
800m Christina Boxer2:01.53 Liz Barnes2:02.04 Janet Marlow2:03.03
1500m Gillian Dainty4:15.65 Bernadette Madigan4:16.13 Chris McMeekin4:16.54
3000m Glynis Penny9:08.38 Mary Stewart9:09.48 Kathryn Binns9:11.18
100m hurdles Shirley Strong13.28 Yvette Wray13.61 Judy Vernon13.78
400m hurdles Christine Warden56.93 Diane Heath58.17 Susan Dalgoutté58.99
High jump Ann-Marie Devally1.86 m Moira Maguire1.78 m Joy Crouchley1.78 m
Long jump Sue Reeve6.30 m Sue Hearnshaw6.28 m Carol Earlington6.21 m
Shot put Angela Littlewood16.43 m Judy Oakes16.35 m Venissa Head16.34 m
Discus throw Scotland Meg Ritchie56.80 m Janet Thompson50.42 m Lesley Mallin47.72 m
Javelin Wales Jacqueline Zaslona53.32 m Linda Stratford48.28 m Maxine Jervis47.00 m

References

  1. ↑ "Jacky seizes javelin chance". Sports Argus. 11 August 1979. Retrieved 30 March 2025 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  2. 1 2 UK Championships. GBR Athletics. Retrieved 2018-02-25.
  3. ↑ AAA WAAA and National Championships Medalists. NUTS. Retrieved 2018-02-25.
  4. ↑ European Cup (Men). GBR Athletics. Retrieved 2018-03-06.
  5. ↑ European Cup (Women). GBR Athletics. Retrieved 2018-03-06.