Hurdler Barrett breaks 31-year-old British record twice on same day

Alicia Barrett, who was in sparkling form at the England U20 Indoor Athletics Championships.

Sprint hurdler Alicia Barrett, of the Chesterfield and District club, twice broke British junior records at the England U20 Indoor Athletics Championships at Sheffield at the weekend.

The previous record for the 60m hurdles of 8.22 seconds had stood for 31 years after being set by double Olympian Lesley-Ann Skeete in 1986. But Barrett, who turns 19 next month, beat it with 8.20 in her heat and then went even better in her semi-final by clocking 8.19.

She duly raced to victory in the final with a time of 8.25 to finish well clear of rival Sophie Yorke (8.34).

Fellow Chesterfield athlete Oliver Dakin also competed at the tournament, which was held at the English Institute of Sport. He set a new personal-best time and broke a club record when finishing fifth in the heats of the U17 men’s 60m hurdles in 8.83 seconds.

Elsewhere the club were well represented at the English Cross-Country Championships at Wollaton Park in Nottingham, where Joe Currie scrapped his way to an excellent bronze medal in the U13 boys’ race, despite a huge field of 458 runners in muddy conditions.

In the U17 men’s race, Alex Ediker was a fine 40th, while the U15 boys finished eighth in their team event after Dan Brown came home 73rd and Will Tighe 88th.