Who, what and when guide: UK Indoor Champs

Everything you need to know about this weekend’s trials in Birmingham for the World Indoor Champs in Glasgow

National titles and places in the team for next month’s World Indoor Championships in Glasgow are up for grabs at the Microplus UK Athletics Indoor Championships in Birmingham this weekend (Feb 17-18).

The event will be broadcast by BBC and features some of the country’s biggest names such as Laura Muir, Morgan Lake and Katarina Johnson-Thompson.

Here are some of the potential highlights and likely contenders.

Muir is fresh from a two miles European record of 9:04.84 at the Millrose Games last Sunday and here faces Melissa Courtney-Bryant, Hannah Nuttall and Amy-Eloise Neale over 3000m.

The women’s 1500m should also be a great race with Georgia Bell taking on Revee Walcott-Nolan and Sarah McDonald. Bell has been one of the revelations of the indoor season so far with PBs of 4:03.22 for 1500m and 8:42.16 for 3000m plus four race victories across Europe, but Walcott-Nolan and McDonald have also been in good shape lately.

The men’s 1500m sees another breakthrough athlete, Adam Fogg, the US-based Brit who ran a big mile PB of 3:49.62 at the Millrose Games a few days ago. He faces Callum Elson among others.

The 60m finals are always a big highlight on Saturday afternoon and the men’s race sees Jeremiah Azu facing Adam Thomas and Ojie Edoburun while Dwain Chambers, the former world indoor champion, is also in the entries aged 45.

Asha Phillip, Amy Hunt, Mabel Akande, Faith Akinbileje and Nia Wedderburn-Goodison, meanwhile, feature in the women’s 60m.

Look out for the para 60m races, too, with Olivia Breen, Maria Lyle, Kevin Santos, Zac Shaw and Jonnie Peacock.

Cindy Sember will be strong favourite to win the women’s 60m hurdles crown after showing near-PB shape recently, whereas David King faces Tade Ojora in the men’s sprint hurdles.

In the jumps, Morgan Lake goes in the high jump, Abigail Irozuru in the long jump and Molly Caudery and Harry Coppell in the pole vault.

The 800m races feature athletes who will be hoping to make their mark on home soil in Glasgow in a couple of weeks’ time – Jemma Reekie and Guy Learmonth. The women’s event is particularly strong with Reekie taking on Issy Boffey, Ellie Baker and Erin Wallace.

Another stacked event is the women’s 400m and it has the makings of the race of the weekend. Laviai Nielsen has run 51.11 so far this season and she faces Jessie Knight and Nicole Yeargin.

With Charlie Carvell, Lee Thompson and Ben Higgins, the men’s 400m also looks like an exciting event.

Johnson-Thompson, the world heptathlon champion, has a quiet weekend as she is entered in the shot put only. Contenders for the shot titles, though, include Amelia Campbell (née Strickler), Sophie McKinna, Serena Vincent and Scott Lincoln.

The action starts at the Utilita Arena at 11.25am on Saturday and 11.30am on Sunday. For the full timetable, see here.

Who, what and when guide: UK Indoor Champs appeared first on AW.