UK Athletics Championships

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This article is about the 1977–1997 event. For the post-2007 event, see British Athletics Championships.
UK Athletics Championships
SportTrack and field
Founded1977
Ceased1997
CountryUnited Kingdom

The UK Athletics Championships was an annual national championship in track and field for the United Kingdom, organised by the British Athletics Federation. The event incorporated the 1980 Olympic trials for the British Olympic team. The venue for the event was rotational and designed to be inclusive – all four Home Nations hosted the event during its twenty-year existence, as well as several areas of England.

Created in 1977 and open only to British athletes, the event was initiated to provide an alternative to the AAA Championships, which was open to foreign athletes and was organised by an English amateur organisation. The event failed to displace the long-established AAA event and did not attract the nation's best athletes. The event was not part of a formal international selection process and the competition's early scheduling in the calendar was not conducive to participation; the event often took place in May, which was well before the peak of the track and field season in August and early September.[1][2][3]

The annual format ceased after 1993. The British Athletics Federation organised a "British Championships" event in 1997, which proved to be the most important domestic competition that season.[3] The bankruptcy of the British Athletics Federation that same year effectively rendered the competition defunct.[4] Both the UK Championships, and the AAA Championships would later be superseded by the British Athletics Championships, organised by UK Athletics – the government-led successor organisation to the British Athletics Federation.

Events

The following athletics events featured as standard on the UK Athletics Championships programme:

  • Sprint: 100 m, 200 m, 400 m
  • Distance track events: 800 m, 1500 m, 5000 m
  • Hurdles: 100 m hurdles (women only), 110 m hurdles (men only), 400 m hurdles, 3000 m steeplechase (men only)
  • Jumps: long jump, triple jump, high jump, pole vault
  • Throws: shot put, discus, hammer, javelin
  • Racewalking: 5000 m walk (women only), 10,000 metres walk (men only)

A men's 3000 metres was contested from 1989 to 1993, while the women's event lasted from 1977 to 1992, being the standard distance event for women at the time. Women raced over 5000 m from 1982 to 1997, with interruptions in 1986–87 and 1990–93. The men's 10,000 metres was stopped after 1988, with a one-off re-instatement in 1997. Women raced over that distance in 1986 and 1997 only. The men's and women's walking events were first introduced at the 1980 edition, though were dropped as a one-off at the 1992 edition. The women's walk was also dropped from the programme for the 1982 championships.[2]

The javelin model used in the men's event changed to the international standard in 1986. In line with international changes, the women's programme gradually expanded to match the men's, with the first triple jump championship held in 1990, then the first women's pole vault and hammer throw UK champions being crowned in 1993.[2]

Editions

Year City Venue Notes
1977 Cwmbran Cwmbran Stadium
1978 Edinburgh Meadowbank Stadium
1979 Birmingham Alexander Stadium
1980 London Crystal Palace Athletics Stadium Olympic Trials
Meadowbank Stadium, Edinburgh hosted the women's 1500 m and men's 800 m and 5000 m
1981 Antrim Antrim Stadium
1982 Cwmbran Cwmbran Stadium
1983 Edinburgh Meadowbank Stadium
1984 Cwmbran Cwmbran Stadium
1985 Antrim Antrim Stadium
1986 Cwmbran Cwmbran Stadium
1987 Derby Moorways Stadium Gateshead International Stadium hosted the men's 10,000 m
1988 Derby Moorways Stadium
1989 Jarrow Monkton Stadium
1990 Cardiff Cardiff Athletics Stadium
1991 Cardiff Cardiff Athletics Stadium
1992 Sheffield Sheffield Hallam UCA Stadium
1993 London Crystal Palace Stadium Bedford International Stadium hosted the racewalks
1997 Birmingham Alexander Stadium Sheffield Hallam UCA Stadium hosted the 10,000 m

Most successful athletes by event

Event Men Men's titles Women Women's titles
100 metres Linford Christie 6 Heather Oakes 4
200 metres John Regis 4 Kathy Smallwood-Cook 4
400 metres Phil Brown 3 Joslyn Hoyte-Smith
Linda Keough 		3
800 metres Peter Elliott 3 Christina Boxer 4
1500 metres Steve Ovett
Alan Mottershead
Neil Horsfield
Steve Crabb 		2 Hilary Hollick
Gillian Dainty
Bev Nicholson
Alison Wyeth 		2
3000 metres No multiple champions — Liz McColgan 3
5000 metres Eamonn Martin
Simon Mugglestone 		2 Angela Tooby 2
10,000 metres Dave Black 3 No multiple champions —
3000 m steeplechase Kevin Capper 3 No multiple champions —
110/100 m hurdles Wilbert Greaves
Tony Jarrett
Colin Jackson 		3 Shirley Strong
Kay Morley 		3
400 m hurdles Max Robertson 4 Elaine McLaughlin 3
High jump Geoff Parsons
Dalton Grant 		3 Diana Davies 4
Pole vault Andy Ashurst 5 No multiple champions —
Long jump Derrick Brown 4 Mary Berkeley
Fiona May 		3
Triple jump Aston Moore 5 Michelle Griffith 2
Shot put Paul Edwards 5 Judy Oakes 10
Discus throw Paul Mardle 6 Venissa Head
Jackie McKernan 		5
Hammer throw Paul Head 7 No multiple champions —
Javelin throw David Ottley
Mick Hill 		5 Fatima Whitbread 8
Race walk Ian McCombie 5 Lisa Langford 3

Multiple champions

A total of 18 athletes won five or more titles at the UK Athletics Championships. Women's shot putter Judy Oakes won the most titles overall, with ten national wins. Linford Christie was the most successful man, with eight titles across the 100 metres and 200 metres.[2]

Athlete Titles Events
Judy Oakes Shot put 10
Linford Christie 100 metres, 200 metres 8
Fatima Whitbread Javelin throw 8
Paul Head Hammer throw 7
Paul Mardle Discus throw 6
Heather Hunte 100 metres, 200 metres 6
Kathy Smallwood-Cook 100 metres, 200 metres 5
Paula Dunn 100 metres, 200 metres 5
Christina Boxer 800 metres, 1500 metres 5
Liz McColgan 3000 metres, 5000 metres, 10,000 metres 5
Paul Edwards Shot put 5
Venissa Head Shot put, Discus throw 8
Jackie McKernan Discus throw 5
David Ottley Javelin throw 5
Mick Hill Javelin throw 5
Ian McCombie 10,000 metres walk 5
Aston Moore Triple jump 5
Andy Ashurst Pole vault 5

See also

List of British athletics champions

References

  1. ^ UK Championships. Power of 10. Retrieved 2018-02-25.
  2. ^ a b c d UK Championships. GBR Athletics. Retrieved 2018-02-25.
  3. ^ a b AAA WAAA and National Championships Medalists. NUTS. Retrieved 2018-02-25.
  4. ^ Memorandum submitted by the Association of British Athletic Clubs - THE DEMISE OF BRITISH ATHLETICS FROM GRASS ROOTS TO ELITE. Parliament. Retrieved 2018-02-25.
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