Getting excited about the London Anniversary Games - Jess Ennis added to the line-up!

The London Anniversary Games will be the last chance for many athletes to finish their preparations for the Rio Olympics.  The Olympic stadium in Stratford will be the ideal place to perform in front of a large crowd.

It all happens at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park on 22nd-23rd July 2016 and the world’s fastest man, Usain Bolt will set the stadium alight on the Friday night.

Usain Bolt, press conference, XX Commonwealth Games, Glasgow, July 2014

Just announced is that Jessica Ennis-Hill will compete in the 100m hurdles on the Friday night and the long jump on the Saturday.

Jessica Ennis-Hill, Great City Games, Manchester, 2015

Having done so well at the venue on 'Super Saturday' in 2012, she says she is "...banking on a good crowd to lift me to a good time".

The event will play host to the prestigious IAAF Diamond League meet on both days.  The IPC Grand Prix Finals with stars such as Jonnie Peacock and Hannah Cockroft will also be incorporated into Saturday’s programme.

Photos will appear here and at www.peverilphoto.com  after the event.

See more details at: http://www.britishathletics.org.uk/british-athletics-series/london-anniversary-games/

Action from Day 2 of the British Athletics Championships

Sprinter James Dasaolu ran 9.93 seconds in a wind-assisted men's 100m final to win the battle of the British sprint kings and book a seat on the plane to his second Olympic Games.  The 2014 European 100m champion held off the fast-finishing James Ellington (9.96) and CJ Ujah (9.97) in a final that thrilled the crowd at the Alexander Stadium, Birmingham.  Ellington was elated to claim seecond place and an automatic Olympic place.  With the men's 200m runners also in good form this season it bodes well for the relays at both distances.

Earlier Asha Philip won her third British 100m title with Dina Asher-Smith saving herself for the 200m, and Tiffany Porter beat her younger sister Cindy Ofili in the women's 100m hurdles final.

More Olympic places for Andy Butchart and Tom Farrell in the men's 5,000m.   Sophie Hitchon confirmed her place in the hammer, and Holly Bradshaw did the same in the pole vault with a season's best clearance of 4.60m.

Some photos of the action from Day 2 of the 2016 British Athletics Championships sponsored by Muller.

 Dwain Chambers (Belgrave Harriers) running 10.31 in heat 3 of the men's 100m

 Rachel Hunter (Shaftesbury Barnet) who threw 61.37 in the women's hammer

 David Dempsey (City of Sheffield) ran 1:50.51 in men's 1500m heats

 Nicholas Percy (Shaftesbury) winning the men's discus with 60.43m

 Michael Rimmer (Liverpool Harriers) winning heat 2 of the men's 800m in 1:50.77

 Nigel Levine (Windsor, Slough & Eton) and Martyn Rooney (Croydon) in heat 3 of the men's 400m

 Rob Mullett (Lewes) winning the men's 3000m steeplechase in 8:41.67

 Andrew Butchart (Central AC) winning the men's 5000m in 13:44.0

 Tiffany Porter (Woodford Green & Essex) winning the women's 100m hurdles in 12.91

 James Dasoulu (right) winning the men's 100m final ahead of Jamess Ellington (left) and Chijindu Ujah (centre) with times 9.96, 9.97 and 9.93

 James Dasoulu (Croydon) and Asha Philip (Newham Essex Beagles) - winners of the men's and women's 100m

 Rebecca Campsall (City of York) running 11.76 in the women's 100m semi-final

 Karla Drew (City of Sheffield) winning heat 3 of the women's 100m hurdles in 13.39

 Emily Diamond (Bristol & West) winning heat 1 of the women's 400m in 52.87

 Dai Greene (Swansea) second in heat 4 of the men's 400m in 51.16

Eilidh Doyle (Pitreavie AC) winning heat 2 of the women's 400m hurdles in 56.30

Getting mysterious phone calls? It may be TalkTalk playing silly b*ggers

A week or so ago, we had a phone call that when we answered it went blank with no answer at the other end.  It is 0115 8506699 so I knew it was a Nottingham number rather than a 'Withheld' number that we don't even bother lifting the receiver for.

Since then the same number has been calling us two or three times a day.  Same response - blank, no one talking.  If you try and call it back, it just goes to a generic answerphone.

Co-incidentally, this all started soon after we told TalkTalk that we were leaving them.

A search of the internet shows that many people have been called by this number, usually after they looked to switch from TalkTalk.

What kind of company goes out of their way to do this to customers?  One that isn't really bothered about them.  I'll not miss them.

Why would you give your work away for free?

I frequently get requests from newspapers, magazines, journalists, poets, artists - in fact a whole range of people - asking if they can use one of my photos to go with an article.

Usually this is accompanied with a line to say that they do not have a budget to pay for this, but that they would give me a picture credit.

I am often happy to provide a photo or two of an athlete to their club for use on their club website, helping to promote the sport/club/athlete.  Aside from that I do expect remuneration, especially if my work is going to be used in a commercial sense.

Now, I know that newspapers in particular are having a hard time of it, but they still have a budget for photos.  Getty, Reuters and the PA Wire service which are the mainstay of many newspapers certainly don't give away their photos, so why expect a freelancer to give away their work?

I'll always try to respond to the requester, explaining this - that gear costs money, as does the travel/accommodation and then there is the time element.  My photography work goes through the tax man and it all costs me money..  Just wondering if anybody had any thoughts on it.

British Athletics Championships this weekend in Birmingham

The best of Britain will descend on Alexander Stadium, Birmingham from 24-26 June as they compete for the prestigious honour of being crowned British champion as well as a place on the British Athletics team for the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

The Alexander Stadium has played host to some memorable British Championships moments over the years and 2015 was no different as ‘finals day’ on the Sunday saw thrilling victories for Dina Asher-Smith, who set a new championship record in the women’s 100m, sub-10 man Chijindu Ujah in the men’s 100m and Olympic long jump champion Greg Rutherford.

Over 600 athletes from across the country will compete over the three days and more than 20 finals will be settled in a scintillating three hour programme on the Sunday.

Find out more at: http://www.britishathletics.org.uk/british-athletics-series/the-british-championships/

Armed Forces and Veterans Day in Sheffield

Sheffield today paid tribute to our Armed Forces past, present and future with a parade through town which took the salute from the Lord Mayor Denise Fox and a short ceremony in the Peace Gardens.

 

The parade this year particularly commemorated the appraoching 100th anniversary of the battle of the Somme which commenced on 1st July 2016 and which claimed the lives of so many 'Sheffield Pals'.

Records set at Diamond League Meeting in Birmingham

With the Rio Olympics barely two months away, a sunny Sunday afternoon at the Alexander Stadium in Birmingham was the setting for the latest Diamond League meeting and a series of records tumbled.

Mo Farah broke David Moorcroft's 34 year old British 3000m record, cheered on by the large home crowd. Six meeting records were set, including two Diamond League records for David Rudisha in the Men's 600m and Yarisley Silva in the Women's pole vault.

But it was Mo Farah who was the star - following the pacemakers through 2000m to run away and take 1/10th second off that record. His time of 7:32.62 means he now holds the British track records at 1500m, two miles, 3000m, 5000m and 10000m, as well as half-marathon on the road. He has already said that after the 2017 season he will look to concentrate on road, rather than track, running.

Yet his fellow 2012 gold medallist Greg Rutherford was well down on the form which has been so good over the past year. The reigning World, Olympic, European and Commonwealth champion led briefly with a first round 8.17m, but the USA's Marquise Goodwin went out to 8.42m in the second round and Greg Rutherford found himself soon pushed him into fifth and out of the final series of jumps.

Eilidh Doyle continued her fine start to the season with a second place in the 400m hurdles, finishing with the same time as USA's Cassandra Tate but missing out on the photo finish.

The wonderful David Rudisha won the rarely run 600m in 1:13.10, holding off the fast-finishing Frenchman Pierre-Ambroise Bosse for the second fastest time in history for the event, setting meeting and Diamond League records in the process. Britain's Michael Rimmer came home in 1:15.87

Kendra Harrison, the second fastest hurdler of all time at this distance, brought home a USA one-two-three in the 100m hurdles.

Kenya's reigning world champion Asbel Kiprop, ran a world-leading time of 3:29.33 to dominate the men's 1500m.

Current Olympic champion Kirani James of Grenada showed his class with a meeting record 44.23secs win in the 400m that was 7/10th quicker than his nearest rival, Isaac Makwala of Botswana.

In the Men's 200m, Canada's Andre de Grasse lead home a top field in 20.16 seconds.

In the Men's 3000m steeplechase, Conseslus Kipruto narrowly missed out on a sub-8minutes time - coming home in 8:00.12

Mutaz Essa Barshim of Qatar won the Men's High Jump with 2.37m, third was Guowei Zhang of China with 2.32m and fourth was Robbie Grabarz with 2.29m.

Kim Collins (St Kitts & Nevis) took the Men's 100m in 10.11 ahead of Michael Rodgers (USA) also in 10.11 and GB's Chijindu Ujah in 10.12

Heat A of the Women's 100m was won by Dafne Schippers in 11.23. Heat B was won by English Gardner in 11.02 - a time she reproduced to win the final.

Francine Niyonsaba of Burundi won the Women's 800m in 1:56.92 ahead of Lynsey Sharp (GBR) 1:59.29

In the Women's 5000m, Vivian Jepkemoi Cheruiyot (Kenya) won in 15:12.79 with Jo Pavey coming home in 15:47.64

Madara Palameika won the Women's javelin with a throw of 65.68

Floria Guei of France took the Women's 400m in 50.84

Britain's Sarah McDonald won the Women's 1500m in a time of 4:07.18