Athletics: Roles row as discus star loses

Aug 13 2007 by Phil Blanche, Western Mail

UK ATHLETICS’ selection policy has come under fire after Welsh discus record holder Philippa Roles was omitted from the world championship team bound for Osaka later this month.

Former Commonwealth Games shot putter Maggie Lynes, who is Roles’ housemate, has blasted the Great Britain selectors by saying, “It is impossible to determine why Philippa has been left out.”

But a spokesman for UKA defended the decision, insisting form, fitness and finishing at the top of the recent world trials in Manchester were all taken into account.

Neath-born Roles (below), 29, who has a personal best of 62.89m, threw 57.83m to win trials which doubled as the UK Championships.

Roles threw over the A standard of 61m for selection at a ThrowsFest in Birmingham on July 1. She threw 61.92m but the distance was disallowed because of a “downhill turning circle”.

Roles also went over the B standard of 59m, which could also have put her on the plane to Japan, in Cwmbran on July 14 when throwing 59.08m at the Welsh Championships.

But she still missed out and Lynes – who turned to weightlifting after athletics and coached the England team at last year’s Commonweath Games – said, “The highly objective criteria used must be challenged.

“A number of discus throwers threw season or lifetime bests at the meeting in Birmingham, due largely to the strong wind conditions.

“UKA actually carried out a costly survey of the throwing area, and deduced that athletes would have benefitted to the tune of approximately 13cms.

“So Philippa’s throw would have been aound 61.79m – still well in excess of the A qualifying and a mark that would have put her sixth at the last world championships.

“What is interesting is that Philippa’s throw of 61.92m was included in the IAAF world rankings. It is impossible to see why she has been left out and I feel that a challenge must be made to UKA before next year’s Olympics.”

But a UKA spokesman said, “She has thrown over the A standard once, but that mark was deemed invalid as the throw was deemed to be downhill.

“It is a bit like sprinters who have got their standards but might have done them with a wind over the legal limit. It is invalid.”