World preparations stepped up in Birmingham by Ennis

Jessica Ennis continues her preparations to defend her world heptathlon title in Daegu next month competing in five events at this weekend’s Aviva UK Championships and Trials at Birmingham.

Ennis has entered the 100m hurdles, high jump, long jump, shot and javelin.

Her position as Britain’s No 1 hurdler has been taken over by Tiffany Porter, the former American, who set a UK record of 12.60 secs in Monaco recently and starts favourite. Ennis will relish the challenge and could beat her best of 12.81.

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The Sheffield-born star heads this year’s UK rankings for the high jump with 1.91m (her best is 1.95) and she starts favourite to win her fourth title at the event.

The long jump is an event where Ennis has scope for improvement in distance and consistency and she should certainly challenge for a medal. It will be a good opportunity to beat her best of 6.51m set last year although she has a wind- assisted 6.54m to her credit back in 2007.

The other two events are Ennis’s weakest, the shot and javelin, both of which have steadily improved over the years.

In the javelin, where she has thrown 46.71m, she could approach the 50-metre mark. The shot could see Ennis challenge her best of 14.61m.

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Ennis’s City of Sheffield team-mate Mukhtar Mohammed will be aiming to snatch a place in the team for Daegu in the 800m.

Bronze medallist in the European Under-23 Championships, Mohammed has already beaten the established UK No 1 Michael Rimmer this season and goes into the race full of confidence following a series of top-class races.

Britain’s top two long jumpers, Middlesbrough’s Chris Tomlinson and Greg Rutherford, will miss this weekend’s trials after they both picked up injuries in training.

Leeds City middle-distance runner James Walsh competes in the 10,000m tonight and is a real medal prospect, along with club colleague James Wilkinson in the 3000m steeplechase.

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Former Leeds athlete Richard Strachan is a leading contender in the 400 metres.

Strachan, who comes from Middleton but is now based in London with Linford Christie’s training group, ranks fourth in the UK this year with 45.70 secs and he is quite capable of a medal, even gold.

Richard Buck (City of York) is also in the line up and competition for the individual places as well as the relay at the World Championships will be fierce.

Wakefield’s Martyn Bernard will be looking to get back to his best in the high jump.

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The European bronze medallist, has only had two competitions this year and has cleared what for him is a modest 2.20m.

He should be a lot closer to his best of 2.30m in Sunday’s competition.

Missing will be Wakefield’s Charlene Thomas.

After her victory in the 1500m at the European Team Championship, Thomas has been sidelined with an injury and it will be a race against time if she is to be in a position to qualify for the World Championships.

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