Ben Pattison, the middle distance runner hailing from Basingstoke & Mid Hants athletics club, has been selected for the English Commonwealth Games side this summer.
Since switching from the 400m to the 800m, Pattinson has enjoyed a huge amount of success, including fourth place at the European U23 championships last year, as well as a European U20 silver in 2019. The Loughborough student has thoroughly earned his selection and will look to get amongst the medals at the games in Birmingham this summer.
Ben Pattison’s Season So Far
The athlete has had a fantastic season so far, winning a large portion of his races. Competing in the 1500m at the BUCS outdoor championships in May certainly raised some eyebrows, but his silver medal in the event was a fantastic way to start the year. Coming from a 400m background, his finishing speed has never been in doubt, but to finish so high in a competitive 1500m field reflected his range and endurance that no doubt aids his 800m efforts.
From then, Pattison has gone from strength to strength, winning multiple high-profile races. The most impressive of his victories came in the Sollentuna GP – a World Athletics Continental Tour Bronze event. Running a personal best 1:45.16, he came away with a win in the A race at this competition against a strong field.
Pattison has also competed at two Wanda Diamond League events this year. Although both were in B races, the competition was still very stiff. Winning both of these Diamond League races is no mean feat, therefore, and puts him in great stead for competing against some great runners at the Commonwealth Games.
Perhaps his most disappointing performance so far this year came at the UK Athletics championships recently. Pattinson did compete well but was only able to come away with fourth place – an agonising result for such a strong runner. That being said, with all the top five 800m performances in the UK so far this year being personal bests, each runner must bring their A game in order to come away with silverware.
Despite this UK Athletics Championships disappointment, Pattison has had a year to remember so far. It is also important to remember that he achieved the World Championships standard, meaning that he could make an appearance in Eugene in the coming weeks.
Ben Pattinson selected for English Commonwealth Games
The Loughborough athlete has had a stellar season but will have to improve if he wants to bring home silverware in Birmingham this summer. With the likes of Max Burgin, Kyle Langford and Neil Gourley all running supremely well in the UK alone, the competition will be very tough. However, Pattison being the second-youngest of the aforementioned runners suggests that he could have more to give this season when it counts.
A medal may be beyond Pattison at this point in his career, but that is not to say that he should be written off, as stranger things have certainly happened in the world of athletics.
