The 1981 UK Athletics Championships was the national championship in outdoor track and field for the United Kingdom held at Antrim Stadium, Antrim. It was the first time that a national track and field championship was held in Northern Ireland.

It was the fifth edition of the competition limited to British athletes only, launched as an alternative to the AAA Championships, which was open to foreign competitors. However, because the calibre of national competition remained greater at the AAA event, the UK Championships this year were not considered the principal national championship event by some statisticians, such as the National Union of Track Statisticians (NUTS). Many of the athletes below also competed at the 1981 AAA Championships.[1][2]

David Ottley won his fourth straight title in the men's javelin throw. Among the athletes to defend their 1980 UK titles were Cameron Sharp (men's 100 metres), Carol Tyson (race walk) and Louise Miller (high jump). Three athletes won UK title doubles, all of them women: Linsey MacDonald won the short sprint double, Gillian Dainty took both middle-distance titles, while Venissa Head was both shot put and discus throw champion.[1]

The main international track and field competition for the United Kingdom that year was the 1981 European Cup. Reflecting the secondary status of the UK event at national level, none of the British individual medallists there were present at UK Championships, though all members of the medal-winning women's 4 × 400 metres relay reached the podium in Antrim (Linda Forsyth, Michelle Scutt, Verona Elder and Joslyn Hoyte-Smith).[3][4]

Medal summary

Men

Event Gold Silver Bronze
100m Scotland Cameron Sharp 10.86 Earl Tulloch 10.90 Jim Evans 11.07
200m Earl Tulloch 20.84 Scotland Cameron Sharp 21.21 Nigel Richens 21.40
400m Steve Scutt 46.52 Paul Dunn 47.87 Brian Jones 47.99
800m Rob Harrison 1:48:35 John Goodacre 1:48.89 Peter Elliott 1:49.19
1,500m Steve Ovett 3:42.80 Scotland Frank Clement 3:44.10 Jack Buckner 3:44.22
5,000m Dave Clarke 13:36.13 Steve Binns 13:42.28 Steve Emson 13:57.94
10,000m Dave Black 29:09.09 Glyn Harvey 29:14.21 Scotland Lawrie Spence 29:15.50
110m hurdles Kieran Moore 15.02 Phil Barthropp 15.08 Gary Myles 15.08
400m hurdles Bill Hartley 51.58 Steve Sole 52.33 Howard Moscrop 52.41
3000m steeplechase Kevin Capper 8:43.99 Trevor Fieldsend 8:46.15 Paul Bettridge 8:46.73
10,000m walk Steve Barry 42:32.43 Roger Mills 43:46.16 Gordon Vale 43:52.52
high jump Scotland Brian Burgess 2.15 m Ossie Cham 2.10 m Floyd Manderson 2.10 m
pole vault Scotland Graham Eggleton 4.80 m Mike Bull 4.80 m Billy Davey 4.40 m
long jump Colin Rattigan 7.49 m w Derrick Williams 7.22 m John King 7.18 m
triple jump Gary Gallagher 15.46 m Joe Allison 15.11 m Stephen Metcalfe 15.03 m
shot put Simon Rodhouse 17.73 m Ian Lindley 17.58 m Mike Atkinson 15.13 m
discus throw Peter Gordon 52.06 m Scotland Paul Mardle 50.86 m Scotland Colin Sutherland 50.32 m
hammer throw Martin Girvan 69.50 m Ron James 64.58 m Ian Chipchase 61.74 m
javelin throw David Ottley 82.84 m Roald Bradstock 75.56 m Richard Hooper 69.66 m

Women

Event Gold Silver Bronze
100m Linsey MacDonald 12.20 Pippa Baker 12.38 Debbie Warner 12.46
200m Linsey MacDonald 23.97 Verona Elder 24.21 Debbie Warner 24.42
400m Joslyn Hoyte-Smith 52.33 Michelle Scutt 52.34 Linda Forsyth 53.47
800m Gillian Dainty 2:08.12 Karen Ford 2:08.71 Lorraine Baker 2:08.86
1,500m Gillian Dainty 4:21.39 Karen Hughes 4:22.25 Sandra Arthurton 4:23.70
3,000m Ruth Smeeth 9:00.36 Jane Furniss 9:03.14 Hilary Hollick 9:05.03
100m hurdles Manndy Laing 14.20 Elaine McMaster 14.43 Jill Duffield 14.59
400m hurdles Wendy Griffiths 58.51 Susan Morley 59.74 Margaret Southerden 60.17
5,000m walk Carol Tyson 24:09.89 Lillian Millen 24:32.09 Elaine Cox 25:18.98
High jump Louise Miller 1.89 m Ann-Marie Cording 1.86 m Sharon McPeake 1.83 m
Long jump Sandra Green 6.17 m w Karen Glen 6.08 m w Beverly Kinch 6.02 m
Shot put Venissa Head 17.62 m Caroline Dyer 14.03 m Helen Clarke 13.16 m
Discus throw Venissa Head 45.20 m Jackie McKernan 37.18 m Laurian Hanna 33.14 m
Javelin Fatima Whitbread 56.10 m Jackie Zaslona 51.16 m Janeen Williams 50.74 m

References

  1. ^ a b UK Championships. GBR Athletics. Retrieved 2018-02-25.
  2. ^ AAA WAAA and National Championships Medalists. NUTS. Retrieved 2018-02-25.
  3. ^ European Cup (Men). GBR Athletics. Retrieved 2018-03-06.
  4. ^ European Cup (Women). GBR Athletics. Retrieved 2018-03-06.
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