National 800m records for Switzerland’s Audrey Werro and Ireland’s Mark English were the highlights of the Irena Szewinska Memorial in Bydgoszcz, Poland on Friday (30).
21-year-old Werro, who won the European U20 title in Jerusalem two years ago, ran 1:57.25 to win the women’s race, clipping 0.51 from her own Swiss record to go second on this year’s world lists at the World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meeting.
English sets Irish record
In the men’s race, Ireland’s evergreen 32-year-old Mark English, twice European bronze medallist, snipped 0.19 off his own national record, winning in 1:44.34.
There were also some cowed-pleasing home victories for European champion and Olympic bronze medallist Natalia Bukowiecka in the women’s 400 m (50.44), Weronika Lizakowska in the women’s 1500m in 4:01.99 and for Maksymilian Szwed in the men’s 400m (45.29).
Spain’s European 800m silver medallist Mohamed Attaoui stepped up in distance to win the men’s 1500m with a personal best of 3:33.30.
There was a hard-fought men’s hammer competition won by Ukraine’s Olympic and European bronze medallist Mykhaylo Kokhan with 79.84m. Germany’s improving European U23 silver medallist Merlin Hummel was second with 79.31m and Hungary’s Olympic and European silver medallist Bence Halasz was third with 79.26m.
Chris Broadbent for European Athletics