Spar British Indoor Championships: Who, what and when?
The 63rd British Indoor Championships this weekend (February 9-10) sees athletes striving to earn spots in the team for the European Indoor Championships in Glasgow next month.
The first two eligible athletes in each trial event will enjoy automatic selection assuming they have achieved the qualifying standard during the qualification period – and here are six key clashes below.
Women’s 60m
Reigning European 60m champion Asha Philip will be a big favourite to retain her British crown based on her 7.12 in Dortmund late last month.
Kristal Awuah has also been in winning form in Germany at Berlin and should be in the medal mix, as should Rachel Miller, who will be keen to improve on her fourth from last year and will do if she repeats her 7.20 form from this year. The 2018 world indoor representative Bianca Williams is also entered but only ran 7.55 in Berlin last weekend.
Women’s 400m
World indoor bronze medallist Eilidh Doyle heads the entries but will not have it easy. Zoey Clark has not run a 400m this winter but a 23.60 200m at the Scottish Championships showed she is bound to be a factor.
European 400m hurdles medallist Meghan Beesley is in good form, as is junior Amber Anning, who ran 53.35 to be the fastest British under-20 for almost 40 years.
Laviai Nielson has yet to run this winter but ran 51.21 last summer for European fourth while Ama Pipi is another debuting this winter but who ran 52.07 indoors.
Women’s 800m
Shelayna Oskan-Clarke ran 2:00.06 to win the 800m last year and might find it hard to replicate that form though she won in Reykjavik at the weekend and she will also potentially be up against outdoor champion Laura Muir, who ran a Scottish record of 1:59.50 in Torun and has also entered the longer events.
Another Scottish challenge could come from former European outdoor champion Lynsey Sharp who ran 2:02.90 to win in Boston in her first 800m of the year last weekend.
Other contenders include last year’s other medallists Mhairi Hendry and Adelle Tracey plus Ellie Baker and Isabelle Boffey, who showed good 400m speed last week.
Women’s long jump
Defending champion Katarina Johnson-Thompson will start favourite but it looks like being a competitive event.
Abigail Irozuru and Jahisha Thomas have jumped 6.50m this winter and will challenge for medals along with last year’s runner-up Jazmin Sawyers, plus heptathlete Niamh Emerson and under-20 Lucy Hadaway.
Men’s 60m
Richard Kilty, the former world and European 60m champion, heads the list of those named to run the event, plus Harry Aikines-Aryeetey, Ojie Edoburun, Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake and Andrew Robertson – the latter showing particularly good form so far this winter.
Watch out, too, for Dwain Chambers, the former world indoor and multiple British champion who has entered age 40, although there is no in-form Reece Prescod or defending champion CJ Ujah.
Men’s 800m
Elliot Giles and Guy Learmonth have started their year in good form. Jamie Webb has also impressed lately, while young guns like Markhim Lonsdale, Alex Botterill and George Mills will be aiming to make their mark.
The February 7 edition of AW magazine includes our full preview but a list of finals is below.
TIMETABLE
Saturday February 9
12:30: Triple jump - men
13:45: Pole vault - women
15:34: Triple jump - women
16:40: 60m hurdles - women
16:50: 60m - women
17:00: 60m - men
17:27: High jump - men
17:30: 3000m - women
17:57: Shot put - men
Sunday February 10
12:00: Shot put - women
12:25: Pole vault - men
13:25: Long jump - men
13:55: 5000m walk - women
14:30: 5000m walk - men
15:00: 60m hurdles - men
15:32: Long jump - women
15:34: 1500m: - men
15:45: High jump - women
15:48: 400m - men
15:58: 400m - women
16:08: 800m - men
16:18: 3000m - men
16:34: 200m - men
16:44: 200m - women
16:54: 800m - women
17:05: 1500m - women
» Finals only listed above
TV GUIDE
BBC online and red button are covering the championships, while it will also be streamed on the British Athletics website. Look out too for AW’s social media updates and in-depth magazine coverage in the February 14 issue.
» For more on the latest athletics news, athletics events coverage and athletics updates, check out the AW homepage and our social media channels on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram
