Athletics

A MARATHON monk has become a British athletics champion after SEVENTY YEARS despite “nearly collapsing” on his first run.Father John Gribben is a sprightly 81 years old and can now claim to be top of his field after winning a gold medal at the British Masters Indoor Track and Field Championships.A sprightly elderly monk has become a gold medal British athletics championCredit: GuzelianFather John Gribben, 81, is known as the ‘sprinting monk’Credit: GuzelianHe took home top prize in the 400m sprintCredit: SWNS:South West News ServiceWhen he’s not running, Gribben works in his West Yorkshire parishCredit: SWNSKnown as the “sprinting monk” among parishioners, he won the 400 metre dash in two minutes, three seconds and 190 milliseconds.Gribben also secured bronze medals in the 60 metre and 200 metre events in London.But it took him 70 long years to finally achieve running stardom, with Gribben’s first attempt at the sport coming in the 1950s.That didn’t exactly go to plan, with octogenarian admitting he could barely stand up straight after a half-mile effort.READ MORE IN ATHLETICSHe told The Times: “I nearly collapsed after that first run. I said, ‘I’m not a runner’, but I never stopped after it.”Gribben started to master the art of running when he moved to Mirfield, West Yorkshire, in 1979 — where he remains to this day.And like any good athlete, Gribben dedicates himself to a gruelling mid-week training schedule.He explained: “Three nights at least of a 5km run, most days I’ll do a 60 metre sprint, and then the other things are an hour at the local gym a couple of days a week.”Most read in AthleticsThe Belfast native, who attended a theological college in Dublin, mainly gets his racing kicks at Greenhead Park’s Parkrun in Huddersfield.He’s since completed over 250 events, boasting an impressive 5km personal best of 26 minutes.I’m a parkrun fanatic – here are my top 10 tips for first-timers as the event turns 20Gribben, who takes TWO buses to reach the course, started attending when he was nearly 70 years old.He now runs 5km in around 40 minutes, and those Saturday morning slogs finally paid dividends when he clinched gold at the Masters.Gribben also revealed the spiritual kick he gets from running, adding: “There’s something in the spring, you hit one point where it is ecstasy, you’re outside yourself almost, when you hit that speed that carries you the last whatever you need to get to the line.“Sometimes I just say to my saviour, ‘Well I’ll run if you run with me’.“I don’t know that I get an answer but… I start putting on my trainers and it feels good to do.” More

A HURDLER stunned fans with her epic finish to a race – despite falling over the final hurdle.And supporters joked she has chosen the wrong sport.Brooklyn Anderson had a commanding lead in her 100m hurdles raceCredit: XShe clipped the final hurdle and fell to the groundCredit: XShe brilliantly went straight into a forward rollCredit: XAnderson then did a second roll to cross the lineCredit: XBrooklyn Anderson of Thurston High School lined up in the Track Town USA Girls 5A 100m hurdles final at the track and field championships in Oregon.And she opened up a commanding lead across the first nine hurdles in lane four. However, disaster appeared to strike at the tenth and final jump.Some of her rivals were yet to make the ninth hurdle when she took off for the last time.READ MORE ON SPORTBut Anderson clattered into the hurdle and despite her best effort, could not keep her footing.Instead, she crashed to the track as her rivals closed in on her.It looked for the world as though Anderson’s dreams of victory had been shattered.But then came her moment of sheer genius inspiration.Most read in AthleticsAnderson’s quick thinking saw her take the fall in her stride and produce the smoothest forward roll somersault on the track within her lane. However, when she finished the roll she was still a couple of metres short of the line.So Anderson did another full somersault to roll over the line – just in front of her nearest challenger in the next lane who had cut the gap. Incredibly, Anderson still crossed the line in a rapid 14.93 seconds to claim victory. The champion said: “I wasn’t sure how far back everyone else was behind me. “I just knew I had to keep rolling to keep going, because I wanted to get first.”‘DISRESPECTFULLY FAST’And fans flooded social media with adoration for her superb feat of spontaneity. One fan joked: “Brooklyn Anderson was so far ahead, she could trip, do two somersaults, stop for a smoothie, update her LinkedIn, and still cross the finish line before anyone else even realised the race had started. Now that’s disrespectfully fast!Another said: “Champion mentality.”And a third commented: “The double rolly polly finish, think this sprinter has chosen the wrong sport – gymnastics.”But one user later explained that Anderson was indeed a former gymnast – hence the acrobatic expertise. He wrote: “Well deserved.Read More on The Sun”Brooklyn Anderson, a former gymnast, had a strong lead when she clipped her knee on the last hurdle.”Thanks to her quick thinking, Anderson decided to somersault through the finish line, barely beating the competition.” More