Commonwealth 800m silver medallist runs through the pain barrier to record tight victory at Bryggen Sports BoXX United event

Kyle Langford overcame a broken rib to come out on top in a high quality 800m field at the Bryggen Sports BoXX United meet, a Continental Tour Silver event, at Sport City in Manchester on Friday (June 3).

The 26-year-old, who is the current Commonwealth silver medallist over the distance, cracked a rib after falling down the stairs just before the Müller Birmingham Diamond League on May 21.

He finished third at the Diamond League B race but in Manchester he improved on that time by almost two seconds. Battling through the pain, Langford clocked 1:46.48 to narrowly overcome Ben Pattison who finished a close second with 1:46.95.

“I broke my rib two weeks ago after falling down the stairs so that was killing me today.” @KyleLangford_96 tells @TimAdams76 how he battles through a broken rib to win the @BryggenSports 800m in Manchester ?#ContinentalTour pic.twitter.com/SW7qeTPve7

— AW (@AthleticsWeekly) June 3, 2022

Pattison, 20, has started 2022 in style with two conclusive victories over 800m. He has also improved his personal best to 1:45.43. So the fact that it was a British one-two wasn’t surprising given the strength in depth of middle-distance running in Britain right now.

“I’ve been battling that [broken rib] and it was killing me out there,” Langford said. “It’s just painful so I’ve just been trying to manage training with my recovery. The thing is with a broken rib, the breathing is strenuous. It’s one of those ones where I just had to race through it and heal it when I can.

“I want to win the British championships. I’ve always believed that I can be an Olympic and world championship gold medallist so if I can get there then I know if I get into that environment there’s a personality changer [for me].

“It [800m] is absolutely stacked. It helps us a lot as we can go to a really good meet and there’s a tonne of good 800m runners. I feel like we’re the best country in the world over the distance at the moment.”

No British record for Aimee Pratt

Having improved her 3000m steeplechase personal best to 9:25.48 on May 25 in Spain, Aimee Pratt had her eyes set on Lizzie Bird’s British record (9:19.68).

Most attention of the meet was drawn on Pratt given this was her home track. The winner of the race was always going to come from either Pratt or Albania’s Luiza Gega, the latter being the 2016 European 3000m steeplechase silver medallist and someone who has a personal best of 9:19.93.

In stifling conditions – for Manchester anyway – Gega proved a class apart and recorded the fastest time by a European this year with 9:20.79, just under 10 seconds ahead of Pratt who clocked 9:30.46.

No British record for @aimeepratt but she finishes second in the 3000m steeplechase with 9:30:46 ??

It’s a stunning victory for Albania as Luiza Gega clocks the fastest time by a European in 2022 with 9:20.79 ??#ContinentalTour pic.twitter.com/bixsXEzICn

— AW (@AthleticsWeekly) June 3, 2022

“I just felt awful from the start,” a candid Pratt told AW. “It was just a hard day and you have them. She [Gega] is a class athlete and nothing was happening for me.

“It was amazing to see all these international athletes [in Manchester] and I’m really exited to see this event grow as the years go by.

“I think at the minute I’m still not at 100%. I definitely want to do the Commonwealth Games so I’ll have to see if I’m selected for that, I want to do the Europeans and Oregon also looks amazing.”

Harry Coppell opens outdoor season 

Harry Coppell wasn’t on the initial entry lists for the meet but the Olympic pole vault finalist from Tokyo started his 2022 season in Manchester.

The triple British champion showed signs of rustiness early on as it took the 25-year-old three attempts to clear 5.30m and 5.55m, an event won by Dutchman Rutger Koppelaar.

For someone who holds the British record of 5.85m, set in the same arena two years ago, it wasn’t hard to work out that Coppell was nowhere near in full flow.

He competed on five occasions during the indoor season and jumped to a best of 5.67m.

The work now really starts for Coppell and he will hope that in a summer which includes three major championships, he can replicate or better the performance which saw him finish seventh at last year’s Olympics.

On paper, both he and Holly Bradshaw are the two standout athletes in the discipline so the pressure will be on as athletes build-up to the Müller UK Athletics Championships which take place on June 24-26.