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Announcer role for Alumna Olympian in Paris

Announcer role for Alumna Olympian in Paris

PATHWAY TO PARIS – University of Birmingham Athletics alumna Hannah England has been named as one of the announcers for the upcoming Paris Olympics.

Hannah – whose career has seen her compete at World Championships, Commonwealth Games 2010 and 2014 as well as the 2012 Olympics in London – will be a sport specific English Announcer/MC for Athletics Track & Field, Marathon Finish and Race Walks.

 

With the Olympics taking place from 26 July, Hannah recently returned to campus and the Athletics Track as part of our wider Pathway to Paris Media Day.

 

Since retiring in 2020, her career has seen her work with the BBC as an Athletics correspondent and pundit, as well as offering her expertise trackside at some of the biggest sporting events.

Studying Biochemistry at her time here, Hannah caught with the media as well as comms teams from her former College sharing her experiences as a student, training with the Universities Athletics Clubs and how it impacted her career.

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UoB athlete high jumping over barCategoriesAnnouncement Student News

History made at Athletics BUCS Outdoor Championships

History made at Athletics

BUCS Outdoor Championships

University of Birmingham Athletics Club rounded off a memorable 2023/24 season with even more medals at the BUCS Athletics Championships in Manchester.

Did Okoh smiling on track

Third year law student Didi Okoh won the 60m ambulant race as she moved to the club’s all-time highest individual BUCS points.

 

In her three years studying and competing, she has collection 76 points overtaking Commonwealth Heptathlon Champion and alumna Louise Hazel.

This year’s Outdoors Athletics saw Birmingham eclipse their previous best of 19 medals with 21 medals across all events. The club took 72 athletes (previous best of 65) and came away with 230 BUCS points.

The records kept coming as the Men’s team collected their highest-ever points taking, a club record the women’s 4x 100m team and Abby Ives back-to-back 800m  win means that Birmingham have won this event for the last six years.

Abbie Ives running side shot
Men's race ft Tyler Bilyard

Third year Tyler Bilyard, now holds both indoor and outdoor 1500m titles, with post-grad Jake Matthews and fourth year Craig Moncur both score points in 3 different events

See the teams full results below

 

GOLD 🥇

Didi Okoh, 60m Amb

Will Barnicoat, 5000m

Kimani Jack, High Jump

Orla Brennan, 400 Hurdles

Jake Minshull, 400 Hurdles

Thomas Bridger, Steeplechase

Abbie Ives, 800m

Tyler Bilyard, 1500m

 

SILVER 🥈

Fenton Bishop-Timings, Javelin

Jake Matthews, Shot Put

Tomer Tarragano, 5000m

Amelia Briggs-Goode, 400 Hurdles

Women’s 4x100m

Women’s 4x400m

 

BRONZE🥉

Charlotte Alexander, 10k

James Pratt, Javelin

Izzy Skelton, 400m

Lily Holt, High Jump

Martha Collings, Steeplechase

Elsa Palmer, 1500m

Men’s 4x400m

 

4TH

Sam Clifton, Hammer

Dani Hales, 100m Hurdles

Zoe Hunter, 1500m

 

5TH

Elisha Tait, 10k

Elisha Tait, 5000m

Rachel Wall, Javelin

Zion Ateba, High Jump

 

6TH

Jasmine Wilkins, 60m

Jake Matthews, Discus

Will Sutton, High Jump

Josh Woods, Long Jump

Holly Weedal, 5000m

Emilie Oakden, Pole Vault

Isaac Rothwell, 1500m

Men’s 4x100m

 

7TH

Emelina Darvell, Discus

Toby Cherry, High Jump

Ben Gardiner, 800m

Lottie Dewar, 800m

 

8TH

Finlay Ward, 10k

Rosie Hamilton-James, 10k

Isaac Hirschman-Chandler, 5000m

Craig Moncur, Long Jump

Archie Parkinson, 800m

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Team photo of the whole UoB Athletics team smiling at BUCS Outdoors 2023CategoriesStudent News

BEST EVER BUCS OUTDOORS MEDAL HAUL FOR BRUM

BEST EVER BUCS OUTDOORS MEDAL HAUL FOR BRUM

The UoB Athletics team had its most successful ever weekend at the BUCS Outdoor Athletics Championships in Manchester this weekend, culminating in its most successful year to date.

Male athletes hug at the finish line of the track at BUCS Outdoors 2023
Image credit: Issy Boffey
4 Female athletes smiling with yellow, blue and red facepaint at BUCS Outdoors 2023
Image credit: Issy Boffey

The annual event saw 80 athletes competing in the final event of the BUCS Outdoors calendar across the first weekend in May, and saw a staggering 19 medals hauled home by the team – beating the previous record of 15!

 

If that wasn’t enough, the club saw a record 49 top-8 placements (previous record of 31) and 65 finalists (previous record 54). This, plus the 24 personal bests accumulated in the process, saw UoB place second overall in both the men’s and women’s standing – for the first time in over 12 years at these Championships.

 

Luke Gunn, Head of Athletics and Head of Performance at UoB Sport & Fitness said it was a superb result.

 

“There were some incredible landmarks achieved from our athletes across the weekend – to name a few, Didi Okoh who was the first ever athlete to ever win four medals at one Championship; first time in modern BUCS that the men have won the 4x100m relay, 84% of the female finals being Birmingham representation. But it wasn’t just the results: as usual, Birmingham bought the atmosphere and it was fantastic to see and hear such support. A huge thank you to them and as always to our coaches, support staff and club development for their incredible work to organise these Championships.”

Didi Okoh with a bronze and gold medal
Didi Okoh with a bronze and gold medal. Credit: Issy Boffey
Female athletes smile with medals round their necks at BUCS Outdoors 2023
Image credit: Issy Boffey

A full list of our amazing medallists is as follows:

GOLD:

Tomer Tarragano, 10,000m

Kristian Imroth, Steeplechase (the first ever Birmingham 1-2-3 clean sweep)

Abbie Ives, 800m

Men’s 4x100m (first time in modern BUCS, that the men have won 4x100m relay)

Didi Okoh, Ambulant Long Jump (first athlete to ever win 4 medals at a single championship)

SILVER: 

Didi Okoh, Ambulant Discus

Orla Brennan, 400m Hurdles

Angel Diaz, 110m Hurdles

Tom Bridger, Steeplechase

Women’s 4x400m

BRONZE:

Didi Okoh, Ambulant 100m

Fenton Bishop-Trimmings, Javelin

Amelia Briggs-Goode, 400m Hurdles (the final of which was made up of 50% of Birmingham athletes)

Elliot Moran, Steeplechase

Amelia Quirk, 5000m

Tyler Bilyard, 1500m

Lily Holt, High Jump

Didi Okoh, Ambulant Shot

Women’s 4x100m

 

Plus, Kirsty-Anne Ebbage was the first non-combined eventer to make 3 individual finals (Shot Put, Hammer and Discus).

Together with BUCS Indoors earlier this year and Cross Country, these results push us above last year’s BUCS record number of points and medals, with a whopping 35 medals and 6 team medals; totalling 398 points in 2023 so far…with Combined Events still to come!

 

Huge congratulations to all of our competitors, and thank you to the supporters and coaches who give up so much of their time to help – particularly to Jade Surman, who led this Championship’s logistics for her first time with consummate ease and professionalism; and also to Sprint Coach, Mike Bennett, who had an incredible Championship directly contributing to 5 of our medals and our best sprints squad depth ever.

All images credit: Issy Boffey

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