City's athletics stars impress at UK Champs
But Pickering's struggle to find form continues
Mervyn Luckwell was the pick of the Milton Keynes athletes at the Aviva European Trials and UK Championship in Birmingham at the weekend.
Luckwell threw 68.57m to finish 3rd in the javelin - the event he won last year. Having already thrown 80 metres this season - the furthest of any UK athlete so far - his bronze medal should guarantee him a place on the plane to Barcelona for next month's Championships.
Sprinter Craig Pickering looks set to miss out on a place in the 100m GB team, but is likely to be selected for the 4x100 relay. His stuttering form looked set to improve as he made the finals of both the 100m - winning his heat in 10.45s - and 200m, before eventually finishing 6th and 7th respectively.
A strong showing from Chris Clarke in the European Team Championships was backed up by another good performance as he made the 400m final, clocking 46.43s - good enough for 7th place.
Hannah Douglas impressed with 4th in the 400m hurdles while Rachel Gibbons finished 6th in the pole vault, Joey Duck crossed the line 8th in the 200m final, and Chloe Whalley finished 7th in her heat of the 100m hurdles.
Long jumper Greg Rutherford did not take part in the event. Having missed the Team Championships in Norway due to injury, there are question marks over whether he will be fit in time for the trip to Spain, but should be a certain choice if he can guarantee his fitness.
Pickering admits his European Championship qualification hopes are hanging by a thread after his disappointing display. The Shenley Lodge man arrived in the second city knowing he needed to run under 10.21s as well as finish in the top two to guarantee a place.
But the Marshall Milton Keynes ace could only finish sixth in a time of 10.46s - 0.32 seconds behind final winner and GB number one Dwain Chambers, with James Dasaolu and Marlon Devonish in second and third.
And after being outclassed by Chambers and co. and coming home 7th best in the 200m final, Pickering cut a disconsolate figure at the Alexander Stadium.
"I was really disappointed with my run because training has been going, but I have struggled to get the times," he said. "I was feeling good coming into the race but it just didn't come together.
"It will be really difficult for me now to get into the GB team for the Championships in the individual 100m now because I need to run the qualifying time twice now in a short space of time so I don't think it will happen.
"It's disappointing because I'd love to be there in the individual but now I will have to wait and see if I'm in the relay and hopefully I can get in that."
Club-mate Clarke also faces an uphill struggle for an individual spot after Martyn Rooney and Michael Bingham sewed up two of the three places in the 400m. Rooney scorched home in 44.99s followed by Bingham in 45.67s with Clarke only able to take 7th in 46.43s.
"I didn't feel great out there all weekend really, I just couldn't shake a headache and I felt flat out there," said Clarke. "But I suppose I've got to be happy because I came here wanting to make the final and I did - I just know I could have run better if I was feeling better.
"In my last few races I haven't been up to scratch so I wanted to come here and put that right with a good showing so I am a little bit disappointed that I wasn't able to do quite that.
"But last year, biomechanically I wasn't moving properly and I had a few weaknesses but this year I have addressed them and everything is coming along well - I just haven't had a good race to prove it yet."
The full squad for the European Championships is set to be named early next week.
>> Aviva is the No 1 sponsor of UK Athletics since 1999 and is committed to developing the sport at every level, from playground to podium. Find out more at aviva.co.uk/athletics
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Milton Keynes
Saturday 11 February 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: -6 C to 0 C
Wind Speed: 5 mph
Wind direction: South east
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: 1 C to 3 C
Wind Speed: 10 mph
Wind direction: North west
