MELISSA Courtney-Bryant opened Olympic year with a 3,000m personal best, following altitude training in Kenya.

Competing at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix in Boston, USA, the Poole AC star clocked 8:37.74, some three seconds faster than last year. 

This improved her 2019 career best by almost half a second, yet still did not reach the extremely exacting Glasgow World Indoor Championship standard of 8:37.00.

Poole AC was the only club to provide two England competitors in the Energyvision Cross Country Cup at Dienst in Belgium.

William Rabjohns worked his way through to third place, clocking 16:45 in the 5.07km junior men’s race. Mark Ruby finished eighth in 17:03.

Bournemouth AC long jumper Seni Purnell (5.04m), Poole AC high jumper Harry Robson (1.86m, pb) and Wimborne AC triple jump duo, William Langridge (13.38m) and Esther Brooks (10.24m, pb), all achieved fourth places in the England Athletics Under-17 and Under-15 Indoor Championships in Sheffield.

Riley Austin and Connor Grocott achieved an under-13 boys’ one-two for Bournemouth AC as the club hosted the Hampshire Cross-Country League at King’s Park. Charlie Collins (PAC, under-17 men) and Isabel Cherrett (BAC, under-15 girls) were also among the runners-up.

Mia Hagan was fourth for Poole AC in the under-17 women’s race. Club-mates Theo Cobley and Jemima Chetwood each claimed under-13 fifth places with Rosie Gollings (Wimborne AC) eighth among the girls. Louis Robinett (Poole Runners) won the under-11 boys’ race with Poole AC’s Darcie Collins fourth girl.