Hinchliffe targets Olympic place at UK trials

Only twice in the past 30 years has a time of less than 10 seconds been necessary to claim victory in the men's 100m at the UK Athletics Championships - but that could prove the minimum requirement for Britain's Olympic hopefuls this weekend.

Rising 21-year-old sprint star Louie Hinchliffe, coached by athletics icon Carl Lewis at the University of Houston, will line up as the second-fastest European man this year after running 9.95 earlier in June.

Jeremiah Azu, who clocked a wind-assisted championship record 9.90 to win the British title in 2022, has also broken the 10-second barrier this year.

Reigning British champion and world bronze medallist Zharnel Hughes, who misses the championships as he recovers from a hamstring injury, is already assured of an Olympic 100m place.

That leaves two-time British champion Reece Prescod and Eugene Amo-Dadzie - the self-styled 'world's fastest accountant' - among those also battling to be part of Team GB, after European medallist Romell Glave also had to withdraw.

The final British athletics squad for Paris 2024 will be announced on Friday, 5 July, following the championships in Manchester on 29 and 30 June.

To be assured of a chance to contest an individual event at the Olympics, athletes must achieve a top-two finish at the qualifiers, and also achieved the World Athletics qualification standard.

Keely Hodgkinson, Josh Kerr, Katarina Johnson-Thompson, Matthew Hudson-Smith, Dina Asher-Smith, Daryll Neita, Molly Caudery and Laura Muir are among the other high-profile names set to compete at Manchester Regional Arena.

It could be one of Britain's lesser-known names who provides one of the stories of the championships - and potentially even the Olympic Games themselves.

Sheffield-born Hinchliffe announced himself as a genuine contender for Paris qualification after following up a remarkable wind-assisted time of 9.84 in May by becoming the first European man in history to win the United States' collegiate 100m title.

In doing so he recorded his first legal run under 10 seconds to go sixth on the British all-time list, as he continues his rapid development under the guidance of nine-time Olympic gold medallist Lewis.

Azu declared his long-term goal is the British record after he became the first Welsh sprinter to break the 10-second barrier in wind-legal conditions when he clocked 9.97 last month, but first he will seek to regain his British title on Saturday.

Prescod, British champion in 2017 and 2018, ran the 10.00 seconds standard at the start of June, while CJ Ujah has a best of 10.07 since returning from a doping ban.

With relay places also up for grabs, other contenders include Ojie Edoburun, with a best time of 10.10 this year, and Amo-Dadzie, who became the joint-fourth fastest British male of all time with 9.93 last year and has run 10.12 in 2024.

Gold medal hopes Kerr and Hodgkinson have already booked their tickets to Paris and will take the opportunity to compete over different distances in Manchester.

World 1500m champion Kerr is entered in the men's 800m, while Olympic and world 800m silver medallist Hodgkinson will contest the women's 400m after winning European gold despite illness a fortnight ago.

But there is plenty else to be decided in keenly contested middle-distance events.

In Hodgkinson's absence, several women will be eyeing a top-two finish in the women's 800m, led by Jemma Reekie who has the second-fastest British time this year of one minute 57.45 seconds.

Teenage sensation Phoebe Gill will line up as a contender after breaking the 45-year European under-18 record in 1:57.86 two weeks after turning 17 in May, while Erin Wallace has also gone under the 1:59.30 standard and Alexandra Bell has run under two minutes this year.

European 5,000m silver medallist George Mills will seek to qualify from a competitive men's 1500m against the likes of Neil Gourley, while former world champion Jake Wightman has been granted a medical exemption due to a minor calf injury.

Muir will be favourite to win a fifth British title in the women's 1500m, following a hugely promising 3:56.35 in Eugene, but will face competition from Katie Snowden, Georgia Bell and Revee Walcott-Nolan.

Kerr's entry into the men's 800m adds extra intrigue to an exciting line-up, featuring already qualified world bronze medallist Ben Pattison, Elliot Giles, Daniel Rowden and Max Burgin - who fell across the line for third in a dramatic race last year.

Neita is on the entry lists for both the women's 100m and 200m events as she eyes a sprint double in Paris.

That should mean the crowd are treated to a showdown between the European 200m silver medallist and Asher-Smith, the European 100m champion, in the 200m on Sunday.

Neita told BBC Sport earlier this year she is targeting individual medals in Paris and, while she was "distraught" to miss out on gold in Rome, she has achieved the Olympic qualifying times in both events.

That is also the case for former world 200m champion Asher-Smith, who replaced Neita as the fastest European over 100m this year by running 10.96 this month. Athletes who want to double up at the Games do not have to compete in their second event at the trials - that final decision is taken by a selection panel.

Other names to watch out for include the improving Amy Hunt, 22, and 23-year-old Amber Anning, who has continued to progress in the United States and clocked 22.60 to break the 25-year-old British indoor 200m record in January, before running the third-fastest 400m by a British woman with 49.51 in May.

World indoor pole vault champion Caudery will hope to once again shine in front of a home crowd after collecting European bronze in Rome earlier this month and setting a new British record of 4.92m last weekend.

There was concern for Johnson-Thompson after the two-time world champion was forced to withdraw after three events of the European heptathlon competition with a "small niggle in her right leg".

Combined events athletes must compete in at least one event and Johnson-Thompson is entered in the 200m, javelin and high jump - though permission not to compete at the trials can be granted in the case of injury or illness.

Olympic bronze medallist Holly Bradshaw has had to rule herself out as she is recovering from Covid, but selectors can still pick her for a fourth Games before she is expected to retire at the end of the season.

Megan Keith secured her Olympic debut with victory at the Night of the 10,000m PBs in London, while Phil Sesemann, Emile Cairess, Mahamed Mahamed, Charlotte Purdue, Calli Hauger-Thackery and Rose Harvey will represent Team GB in the marathon events.