British Indoor Championships and selections trials

British Indoor Championships, photo by Getty Images for British Athletics

The British Championships were held the same weekend as the US Championships. While your editor was covering the US Champs in Spokane, WA, Stuart Weir, our European editor was covering the British Championships live from Birmingham, UK. This is 1/2 pieces for Saturday, February 26, 2022.

British Indoor Championships and selections trials

For those used to the simplicity of the U.S. outdoor trials with its simplicity of first three qualifying – no ifs no buts – the GB indoor championship and selection trials for the World Indoors in Belgrade, next month is extremely complicated! There are two places available in each discipline. The rules are that the winner of each discipline will qualify for the World Championships, provided they have achieved the required entry standard. The second selection place is at the discretion of the selectors. That means that in the same race there are athletes who have the entry standard and only need to finish first or maybe second. There are other athletes who need not only to win but to achieve the qualifying standard. Then there are events like the 200m in which the winner is recognized as a British champion but there is no selection issue as the 200m is not in the world championship program. In addition, there are events like the 3000m race walk and a men’s and women’s para-athletics race in the program where there are honours and prizes for the winners, but no ticket to Belgrade.

Fans in Birmingham , photo by Getty Images for British Athletics

The event was back in the Utilita Arena, where the Indoor Grand Prix was held last weekend. Incidentally, if you were expecting the event to take place in the NIA or the Barclaycard Arena, it is one and the same just with the new sponsor having brought the naming rights.

Inevitably, in this year of three outdoor championships for British athletes, many of the star athletes were absent. Take the women’s 60m as an example. Of Britain’s Olympic medal-winning sprint relay team Dina Asher-Smith, Imani Lansiquot, and Ashleigh Nelson have not run indoors this year, while Asha Philip is injured and Darryl Neita, Amy Hunt, and Desiree Henry were listed but did not start. Cindy Sember, silver medallist in last year’s European indoor 60m hurdles told me today: “because of how much we have going on this year, I wanted to focus on not racing too much early on”. A sensible approach but with implications for today’s event. What it lacked in quality it made up for in quantity with the first race at 10.00am and the last one just after 6.00pm

The A teams were announcing the meet – Geoff Wightman and Katherine Merry for the spectators to the arena and Tim Hutchings and Hannah England for those watching the live stream. All performed to very high standards with just the occasional lapse, like Geoff Wightman informing the crowd – for at least the 37^th time – that the official was showing a green card to the athletes following a faulty start to communicate that they may work in America. Hannah’s comments were balanced and informative, except during the women’s 1500m when she began by saying that many people feel that the women’s 1500m is the high point of any meeting!

Fans in Birmingham, photo by Getty Images for British Athletics

There was an interesting discussion by Geoff Wightman and Katherine Merry when late withdrawals in a 400 prelim resulted in three athletes running a race in which the first three finishers qualified for the semi-finals – thank goodness no one false-started! Geoff said that had he been in that position, he would have walked slowly round the track twice. Kath, an Olympic medallist at 400, told him that he was wrong and that it was important to get your legs moving and your rhythm right for the next race. Speaking personally, I would have loved to have seen the three athletes walk around the track chatting to each other, and qualifying for the semi-final!

Fans in Birmingham, photo by Getty Images for British Athletics

s for British AthleticsThere was one sad incident. Isabelle Boffey, who won a brilliant 1000m last weekend, tangled legs with Gemma Finch and fell. Finch won the race and Boffey finished fifth in the prelim. This deprived her of a chance to make the final and battle for a place in World Championships but the selectors have a discretionary place at their disposal.

Katherine Merry and Geoff Wightman, Meet announcers, 2022 British Indoor Championships, photo from Twitter

It was good to be one of the legends of our support, Christine Ohuruogu, in the arena cheering on her sister and also Montell Douglas, who just 7 days ago was competing in the winter Olympics.

The always quotable Tim Hutchings, British Indoor Champs, with the always charming Hannah England, photo via Twitter

In the absence of Holly Bradshaw who had to cut short for the indoor season, there was a very competitive women’s pole vault championship, of which leading pole vault coach, Scott Simpson said: “The number of PBs, SBs and attempted PBs today was inspiring. Big day for UK women’s pole vault. Huge kudos to all the athletes and their coaches for bringing their A-games at Nationals… great competition to watch – just what the sport needs”.