UK discus record-holder was back in form in Manchester whereas the Easter weekend also saw some good 5km performances in Ardingly

The big events of Easter weekend were Beth Potter’s 14:41 at the Podium 5km, a world record half-marathon from Ruth Chepngetich and the Fast 5k won by Laura Weightman, but there was plenty of other top action around the world including the busiest action of the year so far in Britain.

Stretford, Manchester, April 3
British record-holder and 2012 Olympic finalist Lawrence Okoye achieved his best discus throw for nine years with a 65.31m effort that closes in on the very tough 66.00m Olympic qualifying mark.
Kirsty Law won the women’s event with a 58.82m PB to move into the UK all-time top 10.

Fast 5km, Ardingly, April 5
On a cold, windy day in Sussex, double English National junior champion Ellis Cross (above, No.5) won the men’s 5km in his first listed race over the distance in 14:05 from Dan Jarvis’s 14:07. Hamish Reilly was third in 14:17.

Sara Astin (below, No.199) was close to her PB in winning the women’s race in 16:13. Michelle Pearson (16:23) and top under-20 Charlotte Alexander (16:28) completed the top three.

Pure Athletics Spring Invitational, Clermont, USA, April 3
European 400m champion Matthew Hudson-Smith opened his 2021 season with an encouraging 45.51 victory ahead of Jamaican Akeem Bloomfield (45.78) for his fastest time since winning the British Championships in 2019.

The 2017 4x100m World Championships relay gold medallist Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake ran 10.28/1.0 to come third in one of his 100m races won by 400m specialist Fred Kerley who clocked a PB of 10.03.

Olympic 400m champion Shaunae Miller-Uibo set a a world-leading 22.03/1.5 200m.

Under-18 Erriyon Knighton was fastest in the 200m races with 20.31/1.7 which puts him second all-time in the age group behind Usain Bolt’s 20.13 from 2003.

Nicholas Anderson won the 110m hurdles in 13.49/1.5.

Comeback 5000m, Battersea, London, March 31
There were wins for Phil Norman and Jenny Nesbitt. For report, click here.

St Albans 10km, April 2
James McMurray just missed his PB with a 30:00 PB as Jen Baird was first woman in 37:08.

Dorney Marathon, April 3
In the first UK marathon of the year Jordan Andrews won the men’s race in 2:25:50 from Ian Allen’s 2:26:34. Ultra international Sam Amend won the women’s race in 2:52:36.

Carlisle Resolution 10km, April 3
European mountain running champion Jacob Adkin won the 10km in 30:53 from James Douglas’s 31:35. Nicola Jackson won the women’s race in 37:31.

Prairie View, USA, April 3
Kenny Selmon won the 400m hurdles in a world lead 48.87. Cindy Sember won the 100m hurdles into a headwind in 13.02/-1.4 with Tiffany Porter third in 13.23.

Baton Rouge, USA, April 3-4
Aleia Hobbs set a world lead in the 100m with 10.99/0.6. Briton Jake Norris won the hammer with a 72.31m throw.

Big Ten Florida Invite, Jacksonville, USA, April 2-3
European Under-23 Championships fourth-placer Divine Oladipo achieved her first 17-metre throw of the year in winning the university shot put.

Florida Relays, USA, Gainesville, April 2-3
Joseph Fahnbulleh gained a 10.23/-0.2 and 20.10/0.9 sprint double. There was a women’s 400m hurdles world lead for Anna Cockrell of 55.65 and she also won the 100m hurdles in 12.89/0.8.

Temi Ojora triple jumped 13.16m and that moved her to equal third among British under-20 triple jumpers. Despite a headwind, her elder brother Tade Ojora came close to his 13.68m PB with a 13.71/-1.3 performance which placed him fourth in the 110m hurdles.

Fellow Briton Nicole Yeargin set a 400m PB of 52.09 to show she could be in the mix for the Tokyo 4x400m team.

Austin, Texas, USA, April 3
Tara Davis followed up her big seven metre jump of the previous week with a 6.71/0.8 long jump and 13.14/1.0 100m hurdles double. World under-20 800m indoor record-holder Athing Mu moved up to the 1500m to win with 4:16.06 and also anchored Texas A&M to a 4x400m win in 3:29.43.

Chula Vista, USA, April 3
There were high jumps wins for Vashti Cunningham world outdoor leading 1.97m and for 2012 Olympic medalist Erik Kynard who won the men’s event with a 2.30m leap.

Phoenix, USA, April 3-4
In her first 100m race for almost three years multiple world and Olympic champion Allyson Felix won in 11.31/0.0. The 400m hurdles star Sydney McLaughlin set a 13.03/-0.5 PB in winning the 100m hurdles while the men’s event was won by Briton David King 13.58/1.1.

Eugene, USA, April 3-4
In the first meeting in the renovated Hayward Field, which is the venue for next year’s World Championships, double NCAA champion Cole Hocker scored a 1:46.60 800m and 3:38.99 1500m double.

Patrick Dever, fifth in last month’s NCAA Cross-Country Championships, had his best ever track race as he made a successful 10,000m debut in 28:28.13 which left him half a minute down on winner Wesley Banguria Kiptoo’s 27:58.10.

Palo Alto, USA, April 3-4
Teenager Charlie Hicks made an excellent 10,000m debut with a 28:25.19 win. The Briton, who was a fine 14th in last month’s NCAA Cross-Country Championships, was less than a second down on Dave Bedford’s UK age-19 best of 28:24.4 which was a shock UK senior record when he set it in 1969.

Alpharetta, USA, April 3
Allie Wilson won the 800m in 2:00.84 while Briton Adelle Tracey won the 1500m in 4:11.29.

Belp, Switzerland, April 3
There were wins for Adrian Lehmann (2:12:34) and Ethiopian Helen Tola Bekele (2:24:57) who headed Fabienne Schlumpf’s Swiss record of 2:26:14 on her marathon debut.

Russian Marathon Championships, Sochi, April 3
Sardana Trofimova won the title in 2:28.28 Marina Kovalyova also inside the Olympic standard with 2:28:52. Andrey Leyman won the men’s race in 2:12:53.

Uppsala, Sweden, April 5
Sweden´s Jakob Gardenkrans won the discus with a 64.42 PB in just two degrees centigrade.