1990 UK Athletics Championships
# 1990 UK Athletics Championships

The 1990 UK Athletics Championships was the national championship in outdoor track and field for the United Kingdom held at Cardiff Athletics Stadium, Cardiff. It was the first time that the event was held in the Welsh capital. Strong winds affected several of the sprint races and jumps on the programme. A women's triple jump was contested for the first time.

It was the fourteenth edition of the competition limited to British athletes only, launched as an alternative to the AAA Championships, which was open to foreign competitors. However, due to the fact that 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 1990 AAA Championships.

Racewalker Ian McCombie and javelin thrower Steve Backley both won a third straight UK title at the event. Other men to defend titles that year were Colin Jackson (110 m hurdles), Paul Edwards (shot put) and Paul Head (hammer throw). Three women repeated their 1989 victories: Kay Morley (100 m hurdles), Jackie McKernan (discus) and Sharon Gibson (javelin).Myrtle Augee defeated Judy Oakes in the women's shot put to break her rival's winning streak dating back to 1984. No athletes won multiple titles in Cardiff, though champions Sallyanne Short, Phylis Smith, Alison Wyeth and Michelle Griffith all reached the podium in two events.

The main international track and field competition for the United Kingdom that year was the 1990 European Athletics Championships. Britain's men had a highly successful performance there, with Linford Christie, Roger Black, Colin Jackson, Kriss Akabusi, and Steve Backley all going from UK champion to European champion. The 800 m UK champion David Sharpe was also a silver medallist behind his teammate Tom McKean. The four countries of the United Kingdom competed separately at the Commonwealth Games that year as well. UK champions Christie, Akabusi, Backley, Diane Edwards and Myrtle Augee all won gold for England, while Jackson and Morley made it a men's and women's sprint hurdles double for Wales.

## Medal summary

### Men

| Event | Gold | Gold | Silver | Silver | Bronze | Bronze |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 100 metres (wind: +2.2 m/s) | Linford Christie | 10.13 w | Jason Livingston | 10.31 w | Dave Clark | 10.39 w |
| 200 metres | Ade Mafe | 21.13 | Dave Clark | 21.14 | Michael Rosswess | 21.26 |
| 400 metres | Roger Black | 45.63 | Paul Sanders | 46.75 | Mark Richardson | 46.88 |
| 800 metres | David Sharpe | 1:51.46 | Martin Steele | 1:51.63 | Kevin McKay | 1:51.63 |
| 1500 metres | Neil Horsfield | 3:48.39 | Rob Whalley | 3:49.07 | Andrew Geddes | 3:49.18 |
| 3000 metres | Geoff Turnbull | 8:11.35 | Robert Denmark | 8:11.90 | Tom Hanlon | 8:12.71 |
| 5000 metres | Simon Mugglestone | 13:43.7 | Jon Richards | 13:46.3 | Deon McNeilly | 13:47.7 |
| 110 m hurdles | Colin Jackson | 13.10 | David Nelson | 13.62 | Nigel Walker | 13.77 |
| 400 m hurdles | Kriss Akabusi | 51.50 | Philip Harries | 52.49 | Martin Briggs | 53.03 |
| 3000 metres steeplechase | Ken Penney | 8:50.90 | Tom Buckner | 8:54.84 | Spencer Newport | 8:56.55 |
| 10,000 m walk | Ian McCombie | 41:16.00 | Mark Easton | 41:35.39 | Andrew Penn | 44:10.67 |
| High jump | Dalton Grant | 2.25 m | Geoff Parsons | 2.20 m | Brendan Reilly | 2.20 m |
| Pole vault | Andy Ashurst | 5.30 m | Mike Edwards | 5.20 m | Dean Mellor | 5.00 m |
| Long jump | Kevin Liddington | 7.62 m | Wayne Griffith | 7.58w m | John Shepherd | 7.50 m |
| Triple jump | Francis Agyepong | 16.06 m | Jonathan Edwards | 15.49 m | Joe Sweeney | 15.22 m |
| Shot put | Paul Edwards | 18.57 m | Matt Simson | 18.52 m | Steve Whyte | 17.24 m |
| Discus throw | Paul Mardle | 57.02 m | Abi Ekoku | 56.46 m | Steve Casey | 54.46 m |
| Hammer throw | Paul Head | 71.64 m | Mick Jones | 68.24 m | Jason Byrne | 67.98 m |
| Javelin throw | Steve Backley | 88.46 m | Myles Cottrell | 72.54 m | Gary Jenson | 72.20 m |

### Women

| Event | Gold | Gold | Silver | Silver | Bronze | Bronze |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 100 metres (wind: +4.6 m/s) | Sallyanne Short | 11.36 w | Phylis Smith | 11.40 w | Helen Miles | 11.45 w |
| 200 metres (wind: +2.6 m/s) | Phylis Smith | 23.97 w | Louise Stuart | 24.00 w | Sallyanne Short | 24.04 w |
| 400 metres | Diane Edwards | 54.32 | Sandra Douglas | 55.02 | Pat Beckford | 55.49 |
| 800 metres | Helen Thorpe | 2:05.52 | Mary Kitson | 2:06.10 | Sally Wheeler | 2:07.36 |
| 1500 metres | Alison Wyeth | 4:20.40 | Lisa York | 4:21.04 | Debbie Gunning | 4:21.24 |
| 3000 metres | Andrea Wallace | 9:08.1 | Sonia McGeorge | 9:08.7 | Alison Wyeth | 9:08.9 |
| 100 m hurdles (wind: +4.6 m/s) | Kay Morley | 13.16 w | Sam Farquharson | 13.33 w | Wendy Jeal | 13.40 w |
| 400 m hurdles | Clare Sugden | 57.52 | Gowry Retchakan | 58.23 | Julie Vine | 59.82 |
| 5000 m walk | Betty Sworowski | 22:31.59 | Lisa Langford | 22:42.47 | Julie Drake | 23:03.24 |
| High jump | Julia Bennett | 1.84 m | Debbie Marti | 1.81 m | Louise Gittens | 1.78 m |
| Long jump | Mary Berkeley | 6.17 m | Joanne Wise | 6.08 m | Michelle Griffith | 5.90 m |
| Triple jump | Michelle Griffith | 12.94 m w | Evette Finikin | 12.87 m w | Karen Hambrook | 11.82 m w |
| Shot put | Myrtle Augee | 19.03 m | Judy Oakes | 18.77 m | Yvonne Hanson-Nortey | 16.09 m |
| Discus throw | Jackie McKernan | 55.36 m | Janette Picton | 52.64 m | Sharon Andrews | 52.60 m |
| Javelin throw | Sharon Gibson | 58.32 m | Mandy Liverton | 57.84 m | Fatima Whitbread | 51.50 m |
