We look at the key clashes in the jumps and throws events at the Müller British Athletics Championships in Manchester this weekend

Holly Bradshaw, Harry Coppell, Lorraine Ugen and Naomi Ogbeta are among the contenders for Olympic selection in jumps events at the Manchester Regional Arena from June 25-27, while Scott Lincoln, Sophie McKinna and Lawrence Okoye will be looking to win their throws events.

Women’s high jump

Emily Borthwick and Morgan Lake have been in fine form this year so far. The improving Borthwick has jumped a 1.93m PB this month, whereas Lake was close to her 1.97m PB with 1.96m during the indoor season and has jumped 1.93m outdoors.

Former world junior champion Lake (below) bids for her sixth successive title.

Watch out too for Nikki Manson, Laura Zialor and heptathlete Holly Mills to make an impact too.

Women’s pole vault

Holly Bradshaw chases her seventh successive title and ninth in all having first won gold in 2011, the year she won the European under-23 title. In great form with 4.85m indoors and a British record 4.82m outdoors, she will be a medal hope in Tokyo and should dominate here.

European Under-23 qualified Molly Caudery was a fine third in the European Team Championships and has cleared 4.45m this year and been in consistent form and will be keen to avoid no heighting as she did in last year’s championships.

England under-20 champion Sophie Ashurst is another who can look forward to competing in Tallinn next month and could be in the mix for a senior medal along with Sophie Cook and Jade Ive.

Women’s long jump

Often a high-quality event at the British Championships in recent years, it has enjoyed a real lift-off lately with firstly Jazmin Saywers leaping a PB of 6.90m to beat the Olympic qualifying standard of 6.82m. Then Lorraine Ugen, who was injured during 2020, leapt out to 6.94m in the United States this month.

Abigail Irozuru, Katarina Johnson-Thompson and Shara Proctor also all have the qualifying mark from 2019 by the way, which means the fight for the first two automatic selection spots will be intense, although Johnson-Thompson will not be competing in Manchester.

Sawyers is the defending champion while Irozuru won in 2019 and Ugen in 2017 and 2018.

Women’s triple jump

Naomi Ogbeta should be comfortably clear of her rivals but her big goal will be to beat the Olympic qualifying mark of 14.32m.

The 23-year-old is just 10cm short of the standard after a PB of 14.22m in Turku this month. Psychologically, she must know the barrier is not impossible either due to a wind-assisted 14.38m in the Czech Republic a few days ago.

The crowd at Sportcity will be limited in numbers to around 1200 but it is Ogbeta’s home track so she will have good support as she bids for a fifth successive title.

US-based Temi Ojora is another interesting entrant. Seventh in the NCAA Championships, she is closing in fast on the British under-20 record with a 13.62m leap as she competes in Britain the first time since winning the 2020 England Junior indoor title last February.

Jahisha Thomas is the only other athlete to beat 13 metres this year.

Women’s shot put

Doha World Championships finalist Sophie McKinna bettered the 18.50m Olympic standard indoors with a 18.54m throw and is expected to win her third title in a row and will be looking to improve on her 18.36m outdoor best this season.

Amelia Strickler will be looking for her fifth successive medal as she closed in on the 18-metre barrier. Her indoor PB is 17.97m and she threw 17.90m in Gateshead last month.

US-based Blackheath and Bromley Harrier Divine Oladipo looks a good bet for third. The NCAA finalist threw 17.20m last month.

Others to watch include Adele Nicoll, who threw a 16.49m PB last month at Manchester, former champion Eden Francis, England under-23 champion Serena Vincent and England under-20 winner Nana Gyedu.

Women’s discus

Defending champion Kirsty Law is the clear favourite with super-consistent form which has seen 11 competitions over 57 metres and a best of 59.60m set at Loughborough a few days before the trials.

Oladipo goes for a medal here too and is good form after a 57.26m PB for ninth in the NCAA Championships.

Last year’s bronze medallist Shadine Duquemin is another in PB form this summer having improved to 56.08m while another to keep an eyes on is South of England champion Amy Holder who was second in 2019.

Newly-crowned England under-20 champion Samantha Callaway should also place highly along with Taia Tunstall, who also has the European under-20 qualifier under her belt.

Top-ranked Jade Lally (60.36m), the former Commonwealth medallist, has been based in Australia this year and is not competing.

Women’s hammer

This event will greatly miss Olympic bronze medallist Sophie Hitchon, who recently announced her retirement.

The favourite will be Tara Simpson-Sullivan, who is making her debut in the championships. The 20- year-old is based in college in America and has been gradually climbing the all-time lists. Her best of 68.91m is over three metres short of the 72.50m Olympic standard which only 17 athletes worldwide have achieved this summer so far less would be needed to make Tokyo.

Not far behind on 67.84m is Jessica Mayho, who bids for her third successive title. She has bettered her pre 2021 best on six occasions this summer.

US-based Anna Purchase has thrown over the European under-23 qualifying mark with 66.52m this summer but is another making her senior championships debut.

Amy Herrington and Rachel Hunter have also been over 65 metres this summer and can’t be discounted from a medal shot.

Under-20 champion Charlotte Payne was second in the senior event last year and her 63.47m best throw this season is way in excess of the European under-20 qualifying mark of 59.00m.

Women’s javelin

Defending champion Freya Jones has nearly four metres of advantage over her rivals with a 54.81m best and should win comfortably.

It should be competitive for the other medals though with a metre covering the next six in the rankings.

Emma Hamplett looks a good bet for second though as she has occupied that place each of the last four years.

Elizabeth Korczak won the England under-20 title last week and has the Euro qualifier in her possession and has improved greatly since last year when she was sixth.

The top three under-23s from last weekend also return from Bedford and Bekah Walton, Bethany Moule and Lauren Farley have all bettered 50 metres this summer so could challenge for another medal here.

Heptathlon

It is unusual for this event to be included in the main championships and there will be no world champion Katarina Johnson-Thompson or the top-ranked athletes this year Holly Mills and Jade O’Dowda.

Third-ranked Ellen Barber has been over 6000 points in finishing second in the English Championships in May and her 6028 points sees her evenly matched with Commonwealth Games participant Katie Stainton who has a 2019 PB of 6029 but hasn’t completed a heptathlon the last two years.

Men’s high jump

Tom Gale bettered the Olympic qualifying mark with a 2.33m leap indoors last year and jumped 2.27m outdoors this year in his one outdoor appearance. He has never won a British senior title outdoors.

Will Grimsey has jumped a PB 2.25m this summer and ranks second and last year he finished second in the championships to Joel Khan, whose best jump in 2021 was an indoor 2.23m.

The 2018 champion Chris Baker, who cleared 2.36m five years ago, has jumped 2.22m twice this summer and should be in the medal hunt again.

Also in the field is David Smith who has cleared 2.20m this summer and talented juniors Sam Brereton and Dominic Ogbechie, who have bettered the European under-20 standard this year.

Men’s pole vault

Last year at this meeting former World Youth champion Harry Coppell (below) provided the highlight by setting a stunning British senior record (also beating the Olympic qualifying mark) with 5.85m.

His best outdoors this summer is a mere 5.65m but it should be noted his best outdoors last summer prior to his championship win was only 5.42m.

The 2018 winner Charlie Myers cleared 5.65m during the winter but has jumped 5.42m this summer so far, and he looks a good medal shot along with 2015 European Junior champion Adam Hague who has been in the medals the last three years.

The top two juniors from Bedford last week, Lazarus Benjamin and Reuben Nairne, are back in action and need 10 centimetre improvements on their best to bag a European Under-20 Champs qualifier of 5.15m.

Men’s long jump

This event has disappointed outdoors in 2021 though defending champion Reynold Banigo has at least been close to his PB with a 7.88m leap and a solid fifth in the European Team Championships.

The owner of the longest UK jump of the year is Jacob Fincham-Dukes, who managed an excellent 8.08m in the Indoor Trials in February and then was seventh in the European Indoors but his only measured outdoor mark is a 7.67m in April.

Alexander Farquharson has been in PB form this summer with a 7.78m leap and he will be keen to medal having twice been fourth in the championships while James Lelliott, who was fourth last year has leapt 7.77m and should also be in the hunt.

Brad Davies-Pughe, who won the under-20s at Bedford in a PB and Euro qualifier 7.56m, also competes.

One interesting entry is Kieran Showler-Davis, who has a wind-assisted 10.03 100m to his name from 2016 and a legal 10.43 this year and the South of England champion may be capable of more than the 7.45m he has jumped so far this summer.

Men’s triple jump

Britain’s one world record in an Olympic event is at this discipline and it’s been one of the weakest standard events this year.

Ben Williams, who bettered the 17:14m Olympic qualifying distance way back when winning the 2019 British Championships, returned after a two-year break but failed to get a legal jump in Turku in June.

South of England champion Michael Puplampu, who has won two indoor titles, tops the UK rankings with a 16.42m.

Efe Uwaifo, with 16.20m this summer, also has a better indoor record and out and has also failed to win an outdoor medal in the past though has a silver from indoors.

Julian Reid, is some way short of the form that took him to an European bronze in 2016 and three British titles between 2013 and 2015, and he has a best of 16.07m this summer in winning the Loughborough International.

The most be-medalled athlete in action though is 2004 and 2008 Olympian Nathan Douglas who tops the British Championships triple jump all-time lists in terms of medals with five golds (including last year), six silver and two bronzes for a total of 13 medals over a 17-year span.

His legal best this year is a modest 15.94m and, at the age of 38, his best days are past but it is worth noting 15.80m was sufficient to win the title in 2020.

Jonathan Ilori has twice picked up a bronze in the event and with a 15.94m leap this summer could add to his medal haul.

Men’s shot put

Scott Lincoln must be the clearest favourite of any event over the weekend. He goes for his seventh successive title in the knowledge that his 21.28m Olympic qualifier means he only needs a top two place to confirm his Tokyo selection.

He has a three metre advantage in the UK rankings over Youcef Zatat, who has twice previously been second to Lincoln, and has a 18.09m best this summer.

Teenager Lewis Byng, who won the under-23 title last week with a 17.60m, looks the best bet for third.

Men’s discus

London 2012 finalist Lawrence Okoye already has one eye on Tokyo after his 67.13m Olympic qualifier at Södertälje a few weeks ago. Surprisingly the Croydon Harrier has won just a single title and that was nine years ago.

Defending champion Nick Percy though has won it four times in the last five years and with a 63.24m best this season is very close to his all-time best.

Greg Thompson is the other 60-metre thrower this year and has been consistent around that mark with a 60.93m best but is some way down on the stunning 65.56m he threw last year.

Also looking for medals are George Armstrong, Daniel Greaves and Chris Scott who were next in line to Percy last year but it should be noted para athlete Greaves throws a 1.5kg discus instead of the usual 2kg.

Men’s hammer

Two athletes already have the Olympic standard of 77.50m but Commonwealth champion and five-time winner Nick Miller has a medical bye from British Athletics.

Taylor Campbell, who previously has won two silver medals, is the other qualifier and his 78.23m throw in Budapest tops the rankings.

Chris Bennett who won the title in 2016, is in good form again and has thrown 75.79 this summer.

The reigning champion Craig Murch has also been close to his PB in 2021 and has a best of 73.07m.

The 2018 world junior champion Jake Norris has thrown 72.31m this summer and should be close to a medal as could 2019 bronze medallist Osian Jones.

Men’s javelin

Top ranked at 75.94m, and 2019 champion Harry Hughes is not competing and in his absence the battle should be between the next two in the rankings, Daniel Bainbridge and Joe Dunderdale.

Bainbridge (73.73m this summer) was second last year to Dunderdale (72.98m).

England under-20 champion Thomas Holmes threw 69.44m last week which left him just short of the required 70.00m standard for the European Junior Championships.

Decathlon

All eyes will be on Tim Duckworth, whose PB of 8336, set when winning the 2018 NCAA title, is just 14 short of the Olympic qualifying mark. However, he has not looked at his best this year and scored just 7158 in his one completed decathlon.

Of those competing, Lewis Church (7411) and Ollie Thorner (7388) have the best marks in 2020.

John Lane – sixth in the 2018 Commonwealth Games – and owner of a 7965 PB also competes.

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