Lee Valley Athletics Centre athletes pick up eight medals at European Athletics Championships
Date Published: 04/08/2010
Andy Turner and Enfield and Haringey AC hurdler Kristy Wilson
Last week Team GB performed exceptionally well at the European Athletics Championships in Barcelona, winning nineteen medals including six gold medals, which helped them finish third in the overall table behind Russia and France.
Eight of these medals were won by athletes who regularly train at the world-class Lee Valley Athletics Centre in Edmonton:
Phillips Idowu: triple jump – gold
Andy Turner: 110m hurdles – gold
Christian Malcolm: 200m – silver
Rob Tobin: 4x400m – silver
Martyn Bernard: high jump – bronze
Chris Tomlinson: long jump – bronze
Marilyn Okoro and Perri Shakes-Drayton: 4x400m – bronze
Perri Shakes-Drayton – 400m hurdles – bronze
Lee Valley Athletics Centre is a UK Athletics National Performance Centre, providing the very best training facilities for elite athletes. The centre’s indoor track has been upgraded to include sections of the exact Mondo FX track that will be used in the Olympic Stadium in 2012.
The centre is one of the few indoor athletics arenas, which not only enables the country’s elite athletes to train all year round, but gives thousands of children and people new to athletics the opportunity try out track and field events both indoors and outdoors under the guidance of first class coaches.
Lloyd Cowan, coach to Andy Turner, 110m hurdles gold medallist said: “The facilities at Lee Valley Athletics Centre are second to none. Andy does the majority of his training here, three times a week, as everything he needs is under one roof. To have access to such high quality indoor and outdoor facilities is brilliant and means Andy can train throughout the year, come rain or shine”.
147,000 people use Lee Valley Athletics Centre each year. The Centre has proved such a success that Lee Valley Regional Park is using it as a template for the four Olympic venues it will own, fund and manage in legacy; Lee Valley White Water Centre, the VeloPark and Hockey and Tennis Centres on Olympic Park.
Lee Valley Athletics Centre runs regular tailor made after school sessions and holiday clubs, encouraging children to try athletics. Star Track provides children aged eight to 12 the opportunity to learn a range of different athletics disciplines over a week long course, while Athletics Master-Classes provide training in specific areas.
The next Star Track courses take place from Monday 9 August – Friday 13 August or Monday 23 – Friday 27 August. For more information visit http://www.leevalleypark.org.uk/