Birmingham UK Indoor Grand Prix Saturday 18th February

Birmingham is known for it's fast track and it sure didn't disappoint as world stars and great britain's athletes such as the likes of Jessica Ennis Joe Thomas and Nigel Levine produced life time bests.
The day started off with the 60 metres women heats and with Jeanette Kwayke being talked about after her success last week at the UK indoor trials finishing in a blistering 7.20 seconds sadly disappointed after a poor start tensed up and was unable to qualify from her rather slow heat. However on a brighter note 21 year old Asha Philip who had the heartbreak of false starting at the UK trials qualified to the final as a fastest loser, then took to the final and produced a promising performance in a personal best of 7.19 seconds gaining 4th place and retrospectively the 4th quickest on the all time British list. The unknown Tianna Madison of the united states showed blistering form, the former 2005 long jump world champion easing a 7.07 second victory.
Next on the track is the figure face for british athletics miss Jessica Ennis. After her 60m hurdle performance last week equalling her best time of 7.95 seconds she came up against the silver world champion medallist Danielle Carruthers. Carruthers any other day would have loved her performance faultless over the hurdles yet finishing in second is probably still wondering exactly who she was beaten by. Many thinking Ennis would crack under pressure showed composure, determination and pure class in what if she wants to be Olympic champion come August time will be key. The heptathlete crossing the line  in 7.87 seconds was over the moon by her reaction making it the fastest time this year for 60m hurdles ahead of the infamous Lolo Jones.
The 60m men sprint brought the country of Jamaica to play showing strength and depth with former world record holder Asafa Powell attending, Nesta Carter and Lerone Clarke. Powell in the first heat eased through to the final winning in 6.5 seconds. Whilst GB Andy Robertson featured in the next heat alongside the jamaicans of Carter and Clarke both finishing first and second, Robertson ending up in fourth and made no fool of himself only missing out by one hundredth of a second to the final. Coming into the final many thought Powell would take it, however it was the inform Lerone Clarke breaking the 6.5 time to win the final in 6.47 seconds ahead of Carter then Powell, with such strength it will question Powell's quality come olympic qualification for the under ten second man.
Liu Xiang and Dayron Robles were next on track in the 60m hurdle heats and it was Xiang who shun after forcing disqualification on Robles in Daegu steaming through his heat in what was his first run of the season, whilst Robles looking rusty qualified, Xiang took control in the final starting off the quickest and Robles was unable to catch the chinamen who eased a 7.47 seconds who will most likely go in favourite for London. Good news for GB athletics as Lawrence Clarke who i spoke of last week was sadly disqualified in the UK trials got to the final producing a life time best.
Back on to the 200m track it was the men 800 metres in which Joe Thomas who had won his last 6 races producing personal bests in everyone stood up against world class athletes. Thomas sadly was unable to reproduce another victory although he did yet again gain a personal best in a mature performance running 1.46. 35 behind 18 year old Ethiopian sensation Mohammed Aman who ran a 1.45.40 definitely a massive prospect for the 2 lap race. Also Britons Andrew Osagie finished behind Thomas in a life time best swell in what seem to be the case for many british athletes.

After Nigel Levine's succes in the 400m last week in Sheffield, there was still a place up for grabs on the plane to Istanbul with Birmingham hosting a 400m national indoor race earlier on. With Richard Buck smashing the 7th quickest time so far this year with a personal best of 45.89 to his delight. That putting him ahead of Levine's time, the qualified car mechanic proved he was no pushover when it came to the open 400m race later on in what was a quick race Levine coasted into second and looked unable to keep up with Costa Rican Nery Brennes as he was coasting to victory until a bizarre fall after colliding with the advertising boards 50m from the line allowed Britain's Levine to take not only the victory a 45.71 second win putting him as the 4th quickest in the world this year giving him a chance of a podium finish come Istanbul next month.
Whilst in the women's 400 Shana Cox showed yet again why the former american has a lot more time she can drop down to her 50 second best winning the race in 52.18 with ease, as sadly former silver medallist Nicola Sanders drifted back after such an impressive first lap as she tries to gain her endurance come the Olympics.
In news on the field side there was a national record broken as Shara Proctor put herself right up there as the 5th longest jump in the world to date with 6.80 metres and a win in the mens long jump for Newham and Essex Beagle J.J. Jegede who produced a personal best of 8.04. Holly Bleasdale also secured another victory in the Pole Vault beating former world champion Anna Rogowaska showing why she is one of the best vaulters in the world at the moment.
So in what proved to be a fast day of work on the track, british athletes showed to impress coming up against some of the worlds best and although there is still work to go, as Jessica Ennis proved that the belief of an athlete can defeat anyone on their day, lets hope this will be the case come London!
Charlie Gibson

Sheffield Aviva Indoor UK Trials & Championships. 12th February

Sunday brought Channel 4 cameras live to Sheffield and they didn't disappoint with final after final the action did not stop...

First on to our screens was the Women's 400 m final. It was out on lane 6 where 27 year old Shana Cox delivered with a blistering start winning the race in 52.38 seconds ahead of fast finishing Nadine Okyere and the returning Nicola Sanders.

Coming into the Men's 400m final it looked as if we'd have a close finish for the title of the quickest in Britain however Windsor & Slough athlete Nigel Levine blew away the race with a first 200 metres of 21.7 seconds Levine strided in to take the title from defending champion Richard Buck and Michael Bingham in second. With Levine's performance so strong he could definitely cause an upset in Instanbul timing his run to perfection in lane 3.
Next on track was the 60 metre mens semi final heats in what proved to cause a lot of action. In the first heat was Sale Harrier Andy Robertson who was the one to watch for me having trained with Andy for a 2 year period i know of his reaction to the gun and is only not in the bracket of Chambers due to his power in the last 40 metres in which he would be the first to admit. However Andy showed to step up the class in the first heat not even mentioned by the commentators beforehand cruised past the likes of Lewis Francis and Williamson to take the first heat in 6.64 a new personal best and hopefully create a stir in british athletics. Whilst the illustrious Chambers eased through his heat with the same time definitely looking the one to beat driving through and almost finishing with a jog, he showed how much he will be missed come the summer due to his ban.
With Jenny Meadows missing in the 800 metres, Marilyn Okoro stood up to the mantel with a 59 second 400 metre although she tightened up near the end of the race but took the title in 2.04 just missing out on the 2 minutes three standard needed for Istanbul. Whilst Hannah England showed she has the stamina taking the 3,000 metre crown in 9 minutes and 6 seconds.
The stand out performance came from welshman Joe Thomas, having already got the qualifying time for the world indoors it was all his own race come the final, he lead throughout hammering the stadium record and sprinting the last 200 hundred to hit his lifetime best of 1 minute 47 seconds to now show he is a true contender for the trials with someone pushing him. 
There was disappointment in the mens 60m hurdles when young hope Lawrence Clarke was disqualified for false starting being mention in same sentences as hurdling legend Colin Jackson. It was his training partner Andrew Pozzi who took the title in a personal best of 7.62 seconds.
It was the women though that shun again with former world heptathlete champion Jessica Ennis equalling her best with a 7.95 seconds showing she could take the event individually with an unbelievable lift over the hurdles and the pick up on the track leaving all her opponents out of sight. 
The favourite again in the women's 60 metre race Jeannette Cheeky showed she's no pushover with her typical steaming drive lead from the start, beating teen sensation Jodie Williams and Laura Turner gaining a new stadium record in 7.2 seconds.
So it was left to the mens 60 metre final after Robertson making such an impression in the semi's the final would be where he could make his mark and he sure did finishing second again ahead of the likes of Mark Lewis Francis who never turned up but the favourite Chambers was really pushed finishing in 6.58 with Robertson just behind in 6.61 seconds only missing out by one hundredth of a second to go to Istanbul.

Sheffield Aviva Indoor UK Trials & Championships. Saturday 11th February

There is a future after the Olympics for british athletics. As other the last two days performances were produced from the new and the old. Team GB pass another chapter in what is proving to be an exciting prospect of the summer of 2012.With stadium records broken on Sheffield's illustrious indoor track, world class performances were produced by the likes of home girl Jessica Ennis, Holly Bleasdale, Dwain Chambers and youngster Joe Thomas.

Saturday mainly held heats and field events although it did feature both 200 metre finals in what showed a bright future for the sport with the youngsters shining in both categories.

The men's 200 metres was built around Danny Talbot who had started his season brightly after his victory in Glasgow but it was german Sven Knipphals who surprised all a student at Bournemouth university took the quickest qualifying time of 21.14 seconds ahead of Talbot and then winning the final in 21.3 seconds, Talbot however was unable to feature in the final due to a slight hamstring strain.
Margaret Adeoye again showed what credentials she has taking the women's 200m title. Adeoye took the race from the first 50m and a powerful finish ensured her a life time best of 23.36 seconds ahead of Trafford's Louise Bloor and Katherine Endacott.
Non Track Events saw Shana Proctor produce a sensational performance in the women's long jump just 2 inches off the British Record landing a 6.68 jump maybe giving herself a chance of a medal come Istanbul. However the biggest cheer from the crowd came when Jessica Ennis competed in the high jump showing her multi talents reaching 1.91 to take another title to her name and only just 4 centre metres off her best, Ennis looked in fine form and delighted with the height finishing the day on a high. (excuse the pun...)

Olympic Events- 10,000 Metre Men Preview

Mens 10,000m
The 25 lap race is known for being dominated by the Ethiopian men, in which the last time a non Ethiopian athlete won the Olympic 10,000 metres was back in 1992 over 20 years ago.

This aside Great Britain's Mo Farah will go in as one of the favourites for the race being in top form for the last two years and although it is not his strongest distance, he came so close in Daegu leading the World Championship final too only lose out in the final 30 metres to Ethiopian Ibrahim Jeilan. Anywhere near the brit's personal best of 26 minutes 47 seconds will surely have Farah fighting on the finish line for gold.

Other Challengers to come up against Farah, will be current olympic champion Kenenisa Bekele who has been victorious in Beijing and Athens. The world record holder though struggled in Daegu dropping out of his favourite event after only ten laps and then recently a disappointing eleventh place at the Edinburgh Cross Country shows injuries and age could be taking there toll for the long distance legend.

Galen Rupp, Farah's training partner showed that he also may be not too far off the pace with a PB of 26 minutes, 48 seconds. Rupp who trains with the ten thousand metre world champion in Kenya is only twenty five years old and holding the american record, Farah will realise his potential both knowing each others strengths and weaknesses could play a vital role in the last couple of laps.

With Farah being built up in his own backyard to do the infamous long distance double. At 28 he has the maturity and tasting success in Daegu timing his final sprint towards the finish will be key as without a doubt they'll will sure to be an Ethiopian nearby...