At the recent Loughborough International Athletics (LIA) event, sport scholar Molly Palmer excelled in the Women’s Long Jump, achieving a remarkable jump of 6.67m (wind assisted +2.4m). This event also marked the return of Great Britain’s Jazmin Sawyers, who, after recovering from a ruptured Achilles tendon, recorded a jump of 6.53m.

Wales international Abigail Pawlett secured third place with a personal best of 6.17m (wind assisted 1.7m).

“Getting back out competing feels so fun, it’s so great,” Sawyers told Loughborough Sport. “The aim of today was to get back competing but also to hit the 6.5m marker. I felt like I had 6.6m in the tank but it wasn’t to be. If I were to ignore the fact I’ve been out for eighteen months, that was a solid performance. Hats off to Molly…that was unbelievable.”

Additional Highlights from LIA

Attendees experienced an exciting day of athletics, featuring several outstanding performances:

• Women’s 100m Hurdles: Dani Hales triumphed over world champion Katarina Johnson-Thompson, clocking 13.51 seconds against Johnson-Thompson’s 13.57 seconds in her first outdoor meet since securing a silver medal in the heptathlon in Paris.
• Women’s Javelin: Loughborough alumna Bekah Walton displayed dominance with a winning throw of 59.38m.
• Women’s Triple Jump: Jamaican athlete Kimberly Williams, a three-time World Indoor medallist, took the top spot with a jump of 13.32m.
• Women’s Para Long Jump: Olivia Breen asserted her strength by winning the event with a distance of 4.84m, surpassing competitors Maddie Down and Molly Kingsbury.
• Women’s Pole Vault: New Zealander Imogen Ayris, a Commonwealth bronze medallist, claimed victory with a height of 4.45m.
• Men’s Para 100m: Another Loughborough sport scholar, Thomas Young, achieved victory in 11.19 seconds.