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Weekly UpdatesByline: BILL MCGUIRK
VICKY BARR was hoping to give the Tyneside crowd something to shout about after her Berlin efforts in Gateshead yesterday.
But sadly, it didn't quite turn out that way for the girl from Chester-le-Street .
Barr, a member of Britain's 4x400 metres relay team which finished in fourth place in the recent World Championships in Germany, struggled home in sixth position as Olympic champion Christine Ohuruogu held off the opposition to take the plaudits.
"That's not what I wanted," said a disappointed Barr after being told that she had ran 53.80 seconds for the circuit of a track where many of her training sessions were held before uprooting to London.
"It was really tough out there but there was nothing in my legs, it's so disappointing for I really wanted to do well in front of my friends and family.
"I can only think that Berlin took more out of me than I thought, which is upsetting for I had lots of support out there.
"It's been a really good year for me what with the World Championships and that, but I would have liked to finish off with a better show."
One athlete who did manage to give the crowd something to shout about early in the meeting was Morpeth's Laura Weightman who was second up on the programme contesting the "On Camp With Kelly" 800 metres which was for talented stars of the future.
The Northumberland athlete controversially missed out on selection for the European Junior Championships, but has since moved to the top of the UK rankings over 1,500 metres, and while two laps of the track may not be her preferred distance, she showed she can mix it with the best by running a race to perfection to win in 2min 06.33secs.
Competing against girls older and with quicker times to their names, Weightman sat in behind the pace before going for glory entering the home straight and go on to win by three metres.
"I'm chuffed to bits to win because I was up against the England under-23 champion as well as other girls who have ran quicker than me this season," said 18-year-old Weightman.
"I felt really good and I think I ran a pretty good race against some really good two-lap runners.
"This doesn't make up for not being selected for the European Junior Championships but it gives me a bit more experience for the future.
"The crowd were really supportive for me and I'm really pleased to have won. I've won the English Schools' but this is the biggest race ever, I'm really pleased."
North Shields Poly's Karen Johns, a late inclusion in the line-up, finished fourth in 2:07.90.
It was inevitable that African athletes would dominate the women's 3,000 metres, but it was good experience for adopted Geordie Freya Murray and former Elswick athlete Justina Heslop.
Victory went to Kenya's 5,000 metres World champion Vivian Cheruiyot in 8:53.04 with Murray knocking over 10 seconds off her previous best to finish sixth in 9:08.97 while Heslop, winner of the Blaydon Race in June, crossed the line in eighth place in 9:12.55.
Murray, who won the Scottish 10,000 metres Championship last weekend, showed no ill-effects from that race and though she slipped away once, the tempo increased after a slow opening first kilometre, was still happy with her performance.
"I was hoping for a sub 9:10 so I have to be pleased," said the Newcastle-based Chester-le-Street athlete.
"As it was so slow early on it goes through your head should I take it on but with such good athletes in the field that would have been suicidal.
"In the end I gave it my best shot and fully enjoyed the experience of running in my first Grand Prix and, of course, on the track where I do most of my training."
Morpeth's Nick McCormick is another athlete who failed to get in a challenge in the 3,000 metres contest which was won by Uganda's Moses Kipsiro in 7:35.69.
McCormick, who finished in 11th place, said: "I still don't think I've got over a viral infection which kept me out of the Crystal Palace Grand Prix in July. "It's disappointing to run so poorly in front of your home crowd but I couldn't try any harder."
Conditions certainly weren't ideal for sprinters, but Gateshead Harrier Richard Kilty can take huge comfort from his performance in the 100 metres B race.
Lining up in a field of athletes with quicker times, Kilty, the youngest on the start line, finished in sixth place in 10.70secs with seasoned international Craig Pickering winning in 10.32s.
"Looking at the times afterwards I felt disappointed, but after seeing the times that Tyson Gay and the rest of guys ran in the A race then it wasn't so bad after all," said 19-year-old Kilty.
CAPTION(S):
TOUGH GOING: Jessica Ennis (above) and Vicky Barr (inset)
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