Last weekend saw talent from across the world coming to Birmingham to compete in the Diamond League competition. Including the likes of Trayvon Bromell and Gianmarco Tamberi, the lineup was very strong. However, there were a few young athletes who really stole the show. Here are my top three young performers from the event.
Keely Hodgkinson – 800m
An Olympic Silver Medallist, Keely Hodgkinson did not come into this Diamond League as a wildcard. However, the fact that she is only 20 meant that there were some questions over whether she would retain consistency at the highest level. She certainly silenced these critics.
Finishing with a time of 1:58.63, she took home the win in the A race – a huge achievement in a tough field. Hodgkinson has already attained the World Championship standard, but this race showed that she has the capacity to compete at the highest level against stellar opposition.
Issy Boffey – 800m
Issy Boffey has gone from strength to strength so far this season, already taking home a victory in the Muller Grand Prix earlier this year. She currently attends the University of Birmingham, and is one of their star runners.
Lining up in the B race for the 800m, she was one of the favourites to win. It was not as expected, however, that she would almost run a personal best so early in the season. She finished with a 2:01.03 clocking in her first Diamond League race, as well as taking home the victory. Although she may have been slightly disappointed not to have been selected for the A race, she certainly showed that she was the best in her field.
Thomas Young – Ambulant 100m
A fan favourite, Thomas Young is a superstar in the athletics scene at the moment. A student in Loughborough, Young has been a fantastic role model for many emerging para-athletes, and it cementing himself at the top of the pile in the ambulant 100m.
After not getting his best start, Young had a lot to do in order to take home the win at the halfway point. With his characteristic finishing speed, however, he managed to take the win against a very tough international field. Finishing with a season’s best time of 10.95, he was just 0.01 seconds away from his previous personal best. One of Young’s biggest skills seems to be bringing his A game in pressurised situations, and this overall time highlighted this yet again. It is his second time under the 11 second barrier so far this season, and I would be very surprised if he does not have more to give during this season.