Selection headache awaits GB officials

Four of Britain’s individual medallists from 2011, including three champions, could be absent when the team for this year’s European Indoor Championships is announced tomorrow.

Britain won eight medals when the event was last staged in Paris, with Mo Farah and Helen Clitheroe claiming gold over 3,000 metres, Jenny Meadows belatedly being awarded the 800m title after Russian ‘winner’ Yevgeniya Zinurova was banned for doping and Dwain Chambers taking silver over 60m.

However, next month’s event in Gothenburg is not on double Olympic champion Farah’s schedule, while Clitheroe and Meadows must decide whether to compete – if selected – and Chambers is relying on selection after injury ruled him out of this month’s trials and and he finished fifth in Birmingham on Saturday.

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Meadows was second in her first race since September 2011 in the British Athletics Grand Prix, but was inside the qualifying standard with a time of two minutes 2.86 seconds.

“If I had run 2:00 I was going to say yes, 2:01 was I could do it or not, 2:02 was a definite no, but the way the race went and how badly I dealt with it, makes me feel like I should give it a shot,” said Meadows, who missed the entire 2012 season through injury.

Clitheroe also ran the qualifying time in winning the 3,000m at the National Indoor Arena

Chambers was only fifth in his semi-final of the 60m in 6.81secs.

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Elsewhere, Mukhtar Mohammed (Sheffield RC) was again in top form in the 800m.

After making an early break for the line, Mohamed looked the likely winner on the final bend.

But Sudan’s Abubaker Kaki (Sudan) came past before Michael Rimmer (Liverpool Sefton) squeezed through the smallest of gaps, accidentally catching Kaki who fell as he crossed the line leaving Rimmer the winner and Mohammed third in a time of 1:46.58, an indoor best. He beat Olympic finalist Andrew Osagie.

Lee Emanuel (City of Sheffield) was also in good form finishing third in the 3000m, won by Mo Farah in 7:42 with Emanuel clocking 7:51.46.

Richard Strachan, from Leeds, was third in the 400m in 46.78.