There might not have been a podium spot for Manchester’s James Bowness at the season-opening Sainsbury’s Glasgow International Match, but the middle-distance runner is looking forward to a memorable campaign.
Bowness kicked off his indoor season with a fourth-place finish at the Emirates Arena on Saturday – clocking an indoor personal-best time of 1:49.8 minutes.
It was a difficult race for the 23-year-old who saw Germany’s Robin Schembera finish out in front with Scotland’s Guy Learmonth in second and Paul Renaudie of France third.
But Bowness was pleased to be able to dust off the winter cobwebs and get back to competitive action in front of a home crowd.
“I’m pleased with a PB. That’s the consolation I suppose. Being the slowest in the field I wasn’t going to give them an easy ride,” said Bowness, speaking at the Sainsbury’s event – a partnership with British Athletics that builds on Sainsbury’s support for the 2012 Paralympics and recognises that sport can unite and inspire children of all ages and abilities.
“I wanted to make it a little bit quicker but it’s tough leading, especially when it’s not that fast through halfway.
“I just keep chipping away to get down towards the European Indoor Championships time at 1:48.00, and I’m two seconds off that so it’s good.
“Training has been going really well and I feel like I’m coming into the season in a good place.
“I’m looking forward to a busy season now and hopefully I’ll be at the Europeans.”
With the European Indoors Championships on the horizon in March, not to mention the outdoor World Championships in Beijing five months later, it is set to be a busy year for Bowness.
But he is refusing to get too far ahead of himself and says he is just taking his time and trying to continually improve.
“I just want to keep getting quicker and quicker, and hopefully run 1:47 and 1:46,” he added.
“Then I can start looking at some really good races where I won’t have to lead like that and the pacemakers will be there to run some really fast times.
“I was hoping someone else would do the job of taking the race on today at 53 seconds through half-way, but no one seemed to want to do that so I was always going to take it on if it was going to be slow.
“With 100 to go I was dying a bit but it helped maintain that drive to get to the finish.
“I think in the past five years it’s been more of a pragmatic approach of what comes next, and we’ll make decisions short-term.
“There’s almost no need to look ahead to the Olympics if you’re going to get injured. I’ll just take the future as it comes.”
Sainsbury’s is a proud partner of British Athletics. The partnership reflects Sainsbury’s wider commitment to inspiring healthy lifestyles for all, and complements grassroots campaigns such as Active Kids and the Sainsbury’s School Games. www.sainsburys.co.uk
