Sprinters secure 1-2 at British trials

East London Advertiser: UEL's Shannon Hylton celebrates winning the women's 200m final at the British Athletics World Championships Team Trials at Birmingham Alexander Stadium (pic Getty Images/British Athletics)UEL's Shannon Hylton celebrates winning the women's 200m final at the British Athletics World Championships Team Trials at Birmingham Alexander Stadium (pic Getty Images/British Athletics) (Image: 2017 Getty Images)

The University of East London celebrated a glorious one-two on the athletics track on Sunday when undergraduate Shannon Hylton won the British senior women’s 200 metres title ahead of UEL graduate Bianca Williams.

The result guarantees both a place on the start line at next month’s World Athletics Championships in London, adding another chapter to UEL’s incredible track and field story this summer in which four current students have earned GB call-ups.

Hylton missed out on selection for last year’s Olympic Games in Rio after being plagued by injury problems.

But she atoned for her disappointment by producing arguably the performance of the day at the World Championships trials in Birmingham to win her race in a lifetime best of 22.94 seconds.

East London Advertiser: UEL's Shannon Hylton celebrates winning the women's 200m Final at the British Athletics World Championships Team Trials at Birmingham Alexander Stadium (pic Getty Images/British Athletics)UEL's Shannon Hylton celebrates winning the women's 200m Final at the British Athletics World Championships Team Trials at Birmingham Alexander Stadium (pic Getty Images/British Athletics) (Image: 2017 Getty Images)

Williams, who travelled to Rio as a member of the GB 4x100 metres relay squad but did not actually make the starting quartet, took the runners-up spot in 23.05.

“I’m so thrilled,” said Hylton, who is two years into her biomedical science degree at UEL.

“I knew I had some really strong girls outside me so I had to get out well.

“When I got to the straight I started to tense up but I pushed on through to the line. The conditions felt quite still, which helped, and I’m only coming back from a tough year of injury in 2016 where things didn’t quite go so well, so to bounce back in this manner is so pleasing.”

The achievement of the pair comes after UEL student Corinne Humphreys made her senior GB debut at last week’s European Team Championships in Lille, France, where she took third place in the 100 metres.

Humphreys was in also in action at the World Championships trials on Sunday, finishing fifth in the 100m final, and will compete at the World University Games in Chinese Taipei next month.

Fellow UEL student Vanessa Wallace, who competes in the seated shot put, will be among the medal favourites at the World Para Athletics Championships later this month after finishing fifth in her F34 final at last year’s Rio Paralympics.

Completing a remarkable year for UEL’s female track sprinters, Maya Bruney will compete for Britain at the European Junior Championships in Grosseto, Italy, later this month.