Teenager runs in Bolt's shadow

Teenager Chad Miller had the amazing experience of running in World record-holder Usain Bolt’s footsteps when he helped Britain beat hosts Germany and France in an Under 20 warm-up match for the European Athletics Championships in Berlin’s Olympic Stadium last Sunday.

Miller, the English Junior Men’s 100m Champion, who just failed by 0.02 seconds to make the 100m final at the IAAF World Junior Championships in Tampere, Finland, last month, was one of a trio of British individual winners in the 10-event match. Running in the same lane (five) in which Bolt set the world record of 9.58 seconds in 2009, Miller raced to victory in 10.44.

Miller was in high spirits after his win. He said: “The stadium was so big and it is like a little taste of what is to come or what could be possible if I carry on progressing the way I am. It was very nice to experience.”

Miller, who also competed in the U20 4 x 100m relay at the Muller Anniversary Games, helping the team to a season's best, has taken more than six-tenths of a second off his best 100m time this summer. “ I have had a bit of a change in events", he explains. "I normally do the 200m but I was running very fast in the 100m and I have surprised myself and I am really pleased with how I have done.”

Meanwhile his older brother Rechmial posted a lifetime best 200m time of 20.85 in finishing second in his race at an open meeting at Lee Valley, North London. It was his first time inside 21 seconds for the distance, an improvement on his previous best of 21.07 set in May last year. He was also second in his 100m race in 10.41, just beating his HW clubmate Theo Etienne (10.43). Miller is fourth ranked U23 100m and 200m UK athlete this season.

Over at the European Athletics Championships in Berlin, Dwayne Cowan successfully negotiated the opening round of the Men’s 400m, winning his heat in 45.75, and though he was unable to progress to the final, he clocked a season's best of 45.45 in the semi final, and is expected to go again in tonight's 4x 400m final.

Adam Harwood headed home the 443 runners in Saturday’s Wimbledon Common 5km parkrun in 17:23 finishing 11 seconds ahead of David Lewin. Lisa Thomas was top HW woman finisher. Fifteen Hercules Wimbledon runners took part. Elsewhere Finn Johnson made a winning debut when he headed home a 250-strong field in Brockwell Park in 16:28. Kieran White was second of 215 runners in Lloyd Park, Croydon.