Chalmers in Belgium as he eyes Euros spot
GUERNSEY’s best-ever 400 metre runner Cam Chalmers is on the rise and is looking to race himself into top form starting today in Belgium.
The Commonwealth Games star races at the IFAM Oordegem and he plans to race twice in Switzerland in the build-up to the British Championships and then potentially the European Athletics Championships.
The 21-year-old Team Bath athlete had a troubled winter due to a series of injuries, but has recently shown dashes of his previous form with a good run of impressive races.
Following a decent Gold Coast 2018 campaign, in which he debuted as Guernsey’s second-ever Commonwealth 400m semi-finalist, Chalmers took his third consecutive British Universities Championships title at the beginning of this month with a rapid 45.97sec clocking – his first sub-46 this season.
He then appeared last weekend at the Loughborough International and helped pull his university team, all sharing the expert coaching of James Hillier, to a close second-place finish in the 4x400m relay.
His 45.64sec. 400m best lies within a quarter-second of the Rio 2016 Olympic qualifying time of 45.40, and indeed this is one of the long-term goals that Chalmers has in his sights.
In the short term, however, Chalmers aims to make a strong showing at the British Championships in Birmingham, beginning 30 June.
Success there will pave the way for his appearance at August’s European Championships in Berlin.
‘That [Birmingham] is the main one where I need to run a good race and earn selection for the European Championships at the start of August – that’s the main one, but it will be nice to get a few races in beforehand and race back into shape,’ he said.
‘I had quite a few niggles in the lead-up to the Commonwealth Games, but to come back from the other side of the world and to run under 46 seconds for 400 was really pleasing – I must now try and get to the stage where I can do that consistently.’
Meanwhile, for many Guernsey-locked competitors, the weekend’s fix of athletics action will take place at Footes Lane tomorrow for the second Intertrust Track and Field Challenge of the season.
The day will start at 10.15 with the longest event, an early chance for distance-oriented seniors to take a shot at the 5,000m, while under-17 athletes will instead race over 3,000m.
With leading distance prospect Ryan Burling instead racing in BMC Watford, several of the island’s other top senior athletes will take the spotlight as they demonstrate good form ahead of the upcoming Milk Run Half Marathon.
The same juniors who excelled in Hampshire recently will provide a touch of class to the shorter track events, which include the long hurdles together with races over 200m and 800m, while events such as javelin and triple jump will comprise the day’s field action.
