Action from the IPC Athletics Grand Prix at the Anniversary Games

After a record-breaking first evening, the Muller Anniversary Games, there were further history book moments at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park as the world’s best para-athletes stepped up their preparations for the Paralympic Games in Rio. Two world records fell at the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) Athletics Grand Prix Final as home favourites Richard Whitehead and Libby Clegg both stormed in to the history books.

In the first track race of the day Paralympic, World and European champion Richard Whitehead who recently turned 40 broke his own T42 200m world record with a scintillating 23.03 run. A great start set him up perfectly and his typically fast finish saw him take victory by almost a second

There was also a new T11 200m world record for Libby Clegg (guide: Chris Clarke) as the sprinter raced away to a convincing win stopping the clock at 24.44. Having been reclassified recently to a T11, the Commonwealth Games gold medallist was in imperious form, her compatriot Selina Litt also ran a new personal best of 28.91 in third.

The first two hours of the programme all eyes were on the IPC Grand Prix Final, with Hannah Cockroft breaking the meeting record with a 17.61 winning performance in the T34 100m, but she admitted she really wanted to break the world record today.

Sophie Hahn was another athlete to show her rivals a clean pair of heals and broke the meeting record, as the 19 year old world champion won the T38 100m in 12.66, just 0.06 outside her own world record set at last year’s World Championships. Compatriot Kadeena Cox took second, breaking her personal best with an impressive 13.17 run

In the men’s T54 1500m Marcel Hug of Switzerland denied the crowd the home victory they were looking for, as he edged out the in-form Richard Chiassaro and six-time Paralympic champion David Weir, to win in 3:19.73

It was a similar story in the T44 100m as American Jarryd Wallace just had the upper hand on Paralympic champion Jonnie Peacock, 10.80 to 10.87

 

In the T53 100m, Loughborough-based Canadian Brent Lakatos set a new meeting record of 14.31

'Blade Babe’ Marlou van Rhijn (T43) won the T44 100m in 12.84, just outside her own world record. Sophie Kamlish broke the British record with a 13.35 run in second, with Laura Sugar third in 13.61, just outside her best.

Poland’s reigning world and European champion Michal Derus held off 200m world champion Yohansson Nascimento of Brazil to take the win in the men’s 100m T47 with a season’s best 10.85

 There was a win for South Africa’s Paralympic champion Fanie van der Merwe in the 100m T37, clocking 11.61 ahead of compatriot Charl Du Toit.

Victory in the women’s 1,500m T54 went to Switzerland’s 2014 European champion Manuela Schar. The 31-year-old took to the front with 300m remaining, and held off her teammate Catherine Debrunner to take the win in 3:39.15.  Jade Jones was third in 3:41.00

 

Namibia’s London 2012 200m T37 Paralympic champion Johanna Benson finished well clear of the field in the women’s 400m T37, clocking a personal best 1:08.51