Men Just Miss Out On “Unofficial” GB Top 30 Decathlon Team Placing

After eight years in GB’s Top 30 Men’s Decathlon Teams, of which six were in the Top 20, our male Masters just failed to maintain that record in the pandemic – stricken “unofficial’ competition. They scored 10,826 points, just 32 behind Flitwick, to finish in 31st place. The highest ranked Beds team for the past ten years, they also “unofficially” relinquished their Top East Region club placing to Chelmsford, having been the top club since 2014.

The final results for the “annual” competition in 2021 were actually derived from combining the limited number of Masters’ meets that took place in 2020 and 2021, either side of the 18 month hiatus caused by the pandemic. This meant that the Club’s four highest scoring individuals only competed in a total 24 out of a potential maximum 40 qualifying events. Chelmsford’s men on the other hand secured 35 qualifying races between them whilst Flitwick’s men registered 31 races over the two years.

For Team Luton, Alastair Gibb alone managed to notch up the maximum ten individual qualifying swims and only then by travelling to Newport for four events in November 2021. Dave Wright has constantly been one of the Club’s four highest scoring team members. His total of 3,126 points from seven races meant he was placed in the Club’s team for the 11th successive year whereas, for the first time, the 2021 team featured Ian Stoughton. Still holding Club Masters age group records dating back to 2004 and 2006, Ian competed in five races way back in March 2020. The Club’s 3rd highest placed male was however Graham Powell with just four qualifying races events, all in October 2021.

Jo Mitchinson, Kelly Cooke, Michelle Neal and Karen Mackenzie competed in a total of just 20 events.  As a result Team Luton finished in 58th place with 8,070 points in the 2021 Ladies Team competition. That meant they were once more the second highest ranking Beds Club, behind South Beds Masters and ahead of Flitwick. In the 2019 competition a team of Karen Mackenzie, Laura Smith, Alice Pinney and Kelly Cooke scored 10,980 points from 29 races to finish 48th nationally.

The individual points and rankings are shown below:

Men's Decathlon Results 2021

Beds Ranking
2020/21
Beds Ranking
2019
NameAge (2021)Points 2020/21
(No. of races)
Points 2019
(No. of races)
GB Ranking
2020/21
GB Ranking
2019
27Alastair Gibb613,413 (10)3,660 (10)85160
46Dave Wright603,126 (7)3,837 (10)134138
102Graham Powell652,145 (4)5,115 (10)38339
11Ian Stoughton622,142 (5)388
1313Colin Mayes662,038 (5)2,905 (7)439356
1421Malcolm Barton661,840 (5)2,352 (8)560565
1522Sam Bradley281,685 (8)2,210 (10)648641
3Alex Mason255,110 (10)40
16John O'Rourke522,660 (10)442
28Nathan Bentley221,667 (4)1,014
39Ian Norman51682 (4)1,955=
42Tom Lambert25589 (2)2,047

Ladies Decathlon results 2021

2020/21 Beds
Ranking
2019 Beds
Ranking
NameAge
(in 2021)
Decathlon Points
2021 (No. of races)
Decathlon Points
2019 (No. of races)
2020/21 GB
Ranking
2019 GB
Ranking
1Jo Mitchinson423,196 (6)82
1417Kelly Cooke451,781 (4)2,024 (5)453546=
164Karen Mackenzie481,621 (4)3,881 (10)531108
1720Michelle Neal411,472 (4)1,813 (5)593646
1914Alice Pinney221330 (4)2,290 (7)787431
237Laura Smith271,120 (3)2,785 (7)671276
18Sharon Thompson541,835 (10)636
21Jodie Armstrong391,621 (4)751
24Sonia Bentley531,047 (4)1,171
25Lorraine Sadler50 935 (4)1,250
28Gwen Skingley39 814 (4)1,338
33Clare "Chippy" Murphy-Snape42 635 (3)1,471