With 200m ovals instead of 400m outdoors, plus six lanes instead of eight, spectators find themselves even closer to the stars of athletics. Not forgetting the short sprint events are over 60m instead of 100m so really do get to see who has the best start.

Mix it all up and with the louder confines, indoor racing can be one of the most enjoyable events to watch for running fans.

So what events have the potential to light up the Arena Birmingham?

Women’s 3000m

Final – Thursday 8:15pm

Reigning European Indoor 1500m and 3000m champion Laura Muir will begin her assault on a world double on the opening night in the straight 3000m final. Muir will not be alone in the GB vest and is joined by Eilish McColgan.

The Scottish duo finished one and two over the distance at the recent British Championships with McColgan also winning 1500m gold that weekend.

Defending champion Genzebe Dibaba and world indoor 1500m champion Sifan Hassan join the British pair in doubling up in two events, while, 5000m gold medalist at London 2017 Hellen Obiri is also a contender.

RELATED: Laura Muir: No slacking, no fear, no compromise

Also not to be discounted on the opening night of athletics is the young German talent Konstanze Klosterhalfen and USA’s Shelby Houlihan.

Men’s 1500m

Heats – Saturday 11:10am, Final – Sunday 4:12pm

Jake Wightman knows what it takes to win in Birmingham after clinching the British 1500m crown last month.

Chris O’Hare was a late withdrawal that day due to a foot problem but provided the Wanamaker Mile champion has recovered the British pair are podium potential.

Standing in their way though, are a host of formidable rivals including the fastest man this year Ayanleh Souleiman. The Djibouti athlete was a gold medalist in 2014 and is joined by the man he beat that year Moroccan Abdalaati Iguider, who was champion in 2012.

The field also includes Ethiopia’s Taresa Tolosa, Kenya’s Vincent Kibet and Australian Ryan Gregson.

Men’s 60m

Heats – Saturday 10:15am, Semi-finals – Saturday 7:11pm, Final – Saturday 9:09pm

The world’s fastest man over 60m Christian Coleman will walk into the Birmingham Arena full of confidence after his record-breaking performance last month.

That night in Albuquerque the world 100m silver medalist clocked an electric 6.34, and it will be difficult to see past the American winning a first world gold medal.

However, there is a host of able men ready to challenge including Britain’s CJ Ujah and China’s Su Bingtian.

World relay gold medalist Ujah won the British indoor title last month and Bingtian broke the Asian 60m record recently. It should be a battle not to be missed.

Women’s 1500m

Heats – Friday 7:42pm, Final – Saturday 8:39pm

Providing the big names make it through fully fit and unscathed from the 3000m on Thursday night the women’s 1500m has the potential to be fire.

The heats get underway on Friday night with the final on Saturday and joining GB’s Muir, Dibaba, Hassan and McColgan is Kenya’s Beatrice Chepkoech, who is the second fastest this year behind Ethiopia’s Dibaba.

Elsewhere Ireland’s Ciara Mageean will be out to impress after the disappointment of London 2017.

Men’s 3000m

Heats – Friday 12:50pm, Final – Sunday 3:35pm

Ethiopia’s exciting young talent Selemon Barega aims to become the youngest ever world indoor champion in the men’s 3000m. The fifth-place finisher over 5000m at last year’s World Championships lines up with compatriots Hagos Gebrhiwet and Yomif Kejelcha, the latter the defending champion.

Ready to take on the Ethiopian trio is USA’s Paul Chelimo who finished second last weekend by 0.01 at the Muller Grand Prix Glasgow.

Also in the mix will be Kenya’s Davis Kiplangat and Bethwell Birgen as well as Morocco’s Olympic 1500m bronze medallist Abdalaati Iguider.

British interest will come from Jonny Davies, with the 23-year-old running a 7:50.18 best in Boston in February over the distance.

Women’s 60m

Heats – Friday 10:35am, Semi-finals – Friday 6:50pm, Final – Friday 9:38pm

GB’s Asha Philip has been in excellent form this season and has the potential to win world gold in Birmingham.The European indoor champion will be joined by the impressive winner in Glasgow last week Marie Josee Ta Lou of the Ivory Coast.

Double Olympic champion Elaine Thompson is the reigning bronze medalist but hasn’t been at her best so far this season. However, the Jamaican can always deliver when it matters and shouldn’t be discounted from taking gold, while silver medalist in 2016 Dafne Schippers will be right in the mix too.

Britain’s Bianca Williams will also hope to impress after a late call-up, and after setting a new Irish record last month Amy Foster is ready for the world stage with fellow Irish sprinter Ciara Neville.

Women’s 400m

Heats – Friday 12:10pm, Semi-finals – Friday 8:32pm, Final – Saturday 8:05pm

British duo Eilidh Doyle and Zoey Clark will provide the big interest for home supporters in Birmingham, while Ireland’s hopes will rest with Phil Healy.

400m hurdler specialist Doyle is the sixth fastest this year over the flat, while Irish sprinter Healy is the seventh fastest after making the step up this season from the shorter distances.

Clark herself broke the Scottish 200m record this year and has posted the eighth fastest time over 400m in 2018.

While that provides the interest for British and Irish fans, it’s hard to see past a USA one-two from Courtney Okolo and Shakima Wimbley.

The American athletes are the fastest over the distance this season, but will also be joined by IAAF World Indoor Tour winner Lea Sprunger of Switzerland in the hunt for indoor gold.

How to watch

For viewers in the UK, the BBC will have full coverage that gets underway at 7.00pm on Thursday on BBC 2.

A timetable of events can be found here and information on how you can watch the action outside of the UK is available here.

The post Why you should not miss the World Indoors Champs appeared first on Fast Running.

Meanwhile, on British soil this weekend, there was road action with the Four Villages Half Marathon and the  Canterbury 10 mile.

Taking place in Santiponce, close to Seville in Spain, the third Spanish leg of the current IAAF Cross Country Permit series welcomed a host of British runners.

Verity Ockenden, who finished eighth at the recent Edinburgh XCountry, repeated that finishing position with a strong performance against world-class opposition at the Cross Itálica. Ockenden clocked 27:21 over the 8.2km course, with Keyna’s Agnes Tirop taking the international senior women’s title 25:51.

Behind Tirop and completing a Kenyan podium were Llian Rengeruk and world 5000m champion Hellen Obiri. Olympic steeplechase champion and world record-holder Ruth Jebet finished fourth.

With two Spaniards fifth and sixth, Swansea Harriers’ Ockenden was the third European. Other British runners in action, included Charlotte Christensen, representing England, who finished 16th, while Faye Fullerton and Rebecca Murray, sealed places in the top 20 with 19th and 20th respectively.

Patrick Dever in 14th was the highest placed Brit in the international senior men’s race won by Joshua Cheptegie. The Ugandan athlete won in 30:54 finishing one second ahead of compatriot Jacob Kiplimo.

Preston Harriers’ Dever, who made his senior debut for Britain in Edinburgh this month, was followed by Mahamed Mahamed in 15th and Southampton clubmate Alex Teuten in 25th.

Hannah Hobbs (Yate/Westbury) clinched the victory in the women’s U20 race finishing ahead of England teammate Chloe Sharp (Dartford Harriers).

In a race won by Spain’s Ouassim Oumaiz, the England U20 men filled four of the top five places with Thomas Mortimer (Stroud) placing second followed by Alfie Manthorpe (Sheffield and Dearne) in third, Ricky Lukatome (Blackheath & Bromley) in fourth and Ben Davis (Havering) in fifth.

British great and IAAF president Seb Coe made a rare appearance on the start line and finished a respectable 35th in the master’s race.

British domestic road racing

Ben Fish of Blackburn Harriers won the Four Villages Half Marathon in dreadful wintery conditions on Sunday. Fish posted 69:09, over one minute ahead of Mo Abu-Rezeq (Altrincham Athletics Club) with 70:33 for second.

Fish, who features in the ‘fast runners: class of 2018‘ and Rezeq reached 5km together, but by 10km Abu-Rezeq had a built a small lead passing 10k in around 32:30.

Fish remained composed before catching and passing his rival who had led until 12 miles. By the tape, Fish had increased the winning margin with Abu-Rezeq clear in second position.

Abu-Rezeq told Fast Running afterwards that he “struggled with the slippy road conditions and by 12 miles his feet were so cold he found himself having to walk and jog to the finish.”

Winning the women’s race was Gemma Connolly (St Helens Sutton Ac) in 79:39 ahead of half-marathon debutant Laura Riches (Leigh Harriers) in 82:57. Riches is another runner who features in the ‘class of 2018‘ and is continuing her preparations for a marathon debut in Manchester.

In Canterbury on Sunday, Abel Tsegay (Invicta East Kent AC) took the Canterbury 10 mile title for a second year running in a time of 51:12. Winning the women’s race by five minutes was Tonbridge AC’s Nicole Taylor in 58:33.

At the Storm Force 10 in Camborne, Cornwall, Robel Bahelbi of Highgate Harriers won the men’s race in 53:36 with marathoner Emma Stepto taking the women’s title in 59:53.

Indoors

Olympian CJ Ujah opened his 2018 indoor season with a 6.60 clocking over 60m at the Larry Wieczorek Invitational on Friday.

The post British impress at Cross Internacional de Itálica appeared first on Fast Running.

It turns out, Ujah, who ran the opening leg for Great Britain’s winning 4x100m team at the World Championships, is quite the cook. “I might start making videos,” says the world gold medalist, and who knows someday after the spikes are hung up we might see him don an apron and appear on our television screens.

But right now, the 23-year-old Londoner is back at his Altis training base in Phoenix, Arizona – back to the grind after a summer that won’t be forgotten.

For the best part of a year he has been under the guidance of renowned sprint coach Stu McMillan, also the performance director at Altis. Among his training partners, he can name Canadian star Andre de Grasse and USA’s Ameer Webb, who finished fifth in the 100m final in London this summer.

“The environment is second to none. Working with Stu, training with Andre and Ameer Webb – I couldn’t want more, these are the guys I will race,” he explains. “Everyday, day-in-day-out, you’re around world-class people, and that just helps prepare you for the high-intensity racing to run against the big names.”

McMillan is a coach of the finer details of an athlete’s program and while he sees the benefits of technology for calculating stride-lengths, stride-rate, etc. he still prefers and advocates the human relationship between a coach and athlete, firmly believing that these day-to-day interactions are the number one determining factor for success.

“He’s [McMillan] so focused on relaxation and just trusting in the training – that sets him apart,” Ujah says describing the qualities of his coach. “He has his methods and I’ve always wanted to work with him. He was with UK Athletics when I was a younger – I had a session or two with him but never got to work with him closely. I always hoped to and now I am here and it’s been good, it feels right.”

Regarding training with de Grasse, who won three Olympic medals at Rio 2016, he says: “Andre is a competitor and there’s a rivalry in training, but off the track, we are friends – Toronto and London are similar cities and we can relate being here in a quieter place like Phoenix.”

The coach, the world-class training partners, the warm weather and somewhat reclusiveness of the elite training centre, all appear to be the perfect ingredients for Ujah to now cement his place amongst the best in the world. It was a path that looked inevitable following his personal best 9.96 in 2014 – then aged 20.

The progression in 2015 and 2016 wasn’t quite the leap to ‘world-class’ expected. However this year it’s been a different story, consistent wins in the Diamond League, clocking 9.97 in the final to win the Diamond League Trophy, and three more sub 10 seconds performances.

“Up to this point, every year I’ve grown and that’s what I plan to keep doing. If you look at 2017 I’ve made great improvements and grown as an athlete. I’ve just got to keep doing that and if I can stay injury free, medals will come,” he explains. “I want to be the best.”

To “be the best,” is no longer an idle dream, and we saw signs of that this summer. On the individual front missing out on the 100m final was a disappointment, but winning the Diamond League Trophy only a couple of weeks later showed a willingness to move on quickly to the next goal and just “get the job done.”

“I expected to make the World Champs final,” he says reflecting on missing out by 0.02 seconds. “It was disappointing, after a great Diamond League season, confidence was high but these things happen. It’s just about learning.

“I felt pressure from the crowd but that’s not an excuse because I loved the atmosphere, words can’t describe that. I hope every athlete gets to experience a home crowd at the major champs, nothing can match it!”

He will experience that home support again next March at the World Indoor Championships in Birmingham, although not quite the same as a packed London Stadium.

While the Diamond League Trophy was the biggest individual win in his athletics career, winning a world gold medal alongside teammates Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake, Danny Talbot and Adam Gemili was by far “the best” win to date.

HISTORY!!!! WE ARE WORLD CHAMPIONS Thank you London, thank you Britain #IAAFworlds pic.twitter.com/thvexXeHXz

— CJ Ujah (@Chijindu_Ujah) August 13, 2017

“What can you say, it was the best. The whole relay team, we’ve been through a lot together and I feel we deserved that. But do you know what almost tops the medal? I’ve watched the race twice since I’ve been back in Phoenix, and the girls [GB 4x100m relay silver medalists] reaction as they watched our race – it was like they were running every stride with us. That made it special for the whole relay team.”

You might be surprised to hear his gold medal is not with him in Phoenix. “You would think I would have it with me,” he says. “But no, it’s at home, safe, and being looked after.”

So like Ujah in the U.S. or Adam Gemili and Desiree Henry in the remote Dutch countryside, with coach Rana Reider, world 200m champion Dafne Schippers and others – sometimes it takes uprooting to make that next jump.

Every athlete is different though, a successful recipe for one doesn’t mean success for another.

But, Ujah seems to have found his in Phoenix. The right coach, the right set-up, training with the best day in day out – and should he stay healthy, a global individual medal, would surely be the icing on the cake.

The post CJ Ujah finds the perfect recipe appeared first on Fast Running.

Chijindu Utah stormed out the blocks to lead a near-perfect display from the British relay team. As the baton was handed off to Adam Gemini for the second leg there was a sense something special was about to happen.

Danny Talbot was next up running a flawless bend, before handing off to Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake who had enough to hold off the 100m silver medallist Christian Coleman, finishing with a perfectly timed dip to win gold for the British quartet, clocking 37.47.

It was a world leading time, British record, European record and leaves GB the third fastest relay team of all time.

Bolt, the eight time Olympic gold medalist, pulled up injured running the anchor leg for Jamaica, as he tried to chase down Britain’s Mitchell-Blake and USA’s Coleman.

A wheelchair was brought over to Bolt but he waved it away, hauling himself up to limp across the line before applauding the crowd.

It was a tragic ending to the 30-year-old’s glorious track career, as he retires from these championships with only a bronze medal from the individual 100m.

Britain’s Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake, final leg sprinter, said: “I wasn’t sure if I had won or not, I gave it my all but I could see Christian Coleman out of the corner of my eye. The feeling of euphoria was from infinity. I can’t register it. We smashed the British record to pieces.”

Prior to the men’s final, the British women’s team of Asha Philip, Desiree Henry, Dina Asher-Smith and Daryll Neita won silver, clocking 42.12, behind favourites USA.

The GB quartet went one better than their bronze at the Rio Olympics last year and the world bronze they bagged in Beijing in 2015.

In the final leg, Neita give it her all as he faced 100m world champion Tori Bowie, with the USA star just pulling away to cross the line in 41.82 for gold.

“A great effort between the team and even better for the boys,” said Neita.

Asher-Smith, who has had a number of tremendous performances in London after battling back from a broken foot, said: “I think I’m still in a dream phase, because I didn’t even know if I was going to be here and then suddenly I was like okay if I go and do the relay, I might hopefully get a run, because I might not be fast enough to be in the team.

“To transform that to winning a world silver which is the highest medal we have ever won is absolutely incredible. I’m still very much in a dream state.”

Jamaica took bronze in 42.19, to conclude a disappointing championships for the sprint nation.

In total Britain won three medals on the penultimate day of the World Championships, the two relay medals adding to the silver Mo Farah won in the 5,000m final.

The post A golden performance from British quartet to win world title, as Usain Bolt pulls up injured appeared first on Fast Running.

Bolt, running the anchor leg for the strong Jamaican quartet, pulled away down the home straight to steer his team to victory in the second relay heat at the London Stadium, clocking 37.95.

The eight-time Olympic champion will now appear for the last time at a major championships on Saturday night in the final at 9:50pm (UK time).

Competing in the first heat, the British team of Chijindu Ujah, Adam Gemili, Daniel Talbot and Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake ran GB’s second fastest ever time, clocking 37.76, as they finished behind an impressive USA quartet that featured individual 100m gold and silver medalists, Justin Gatlin and Christian Coleman.

Britain’s women also safely negotiated  the heats, finishing behind a formidable USA team who recorded a world leading time in 41.84.

The USA’s team of Allyson Felix, Aaliyah Brown, Morolake Akinosun and Ariana Washington are the reigning Olympic champions.

The British quartet of Asha Philip, Desiree Henry, Dina Asher-Smith and Daryll Neita flew over the line in a season’s best 41.93, the fastest time by a GB team at the world championships.

Bolt, who missed out on individual100m gold last weekend said: “It’s not a time to be sad, because the energy from this crowd is great.

“There are no words to describe how I am feeling. I get so much support from the crowd.

I appreciate that a lot. All the energy I am getting from the crowd is brilliant.”

In the 4x400m relay heats, both British men’s and women’s teams qualified for Sunday’s final.

The men’s team of Rabah Yousif, Dwayne Cowan, Jack Green and Martyn Rooney finished fourth in 3:00.10, qualifying as a fastest loser.

While, the women’s quartet of Zoey Clark, Laviai Nielsen, Perri Shakes-Drayton and Emily Diamond clocked 3:24.74 to finish second behind the USA.

The post Bolt lines up perfect farewell, as four GB team advance to finals appeared first on Fast Running.

The British sprinter, who won last weekend in London, and earlier this year in Rome, crossed the finish line in 9.98 setting a new meet record, and his third Diamond League win this year.

Ujah finishing ahead of Ivory Coast’s Meite in 2nd place, and fellow British sprinter Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake ran strongly in 10.18, taking 3rd place.

.@Chijindu_Ujah pips @MeiteBenYoussef to the line & dips under the 100m meeting record in the process with a stoming 9.98 run! #RabatDL pic.twitter.com/ksqLVo6Q01

— IAAF Diamond League (@Diamond_League) July 16, 2017

Double Olympic champion Elaine Thompson, once again demonstrated why she is the favourite for next month’s World Championships, taking the 100m win in 10.87. The Jamaican star was back in spikes, after running in trainers at last weekend’s Anniversary Games in London, and improved on her time by 0.07.

Also impressing in Rabat was African star Nigel Amos who lead from the start to win the men’s 800m. The Botswana middle-distance athlete put on a tactical exhibition, going out hard, before dropping down a gear three quarters into the race to draw his challengers in, before moving up a gear again over the last 200m, to win comfortably in 1:43.91.

In a high calibre men’s 200m field, Canada’s triple Olympic medallist Andre De Grasse showed why he is tipped for World Championship success, winning comfortably in 20:03.

.@De6rasse eases to a new Meeting Record in the 200m, beating @Fastlikewebb & @zharnel_hughes to the line in 20.03. #RabatDL #DiamondLeague pic.twitter.com/0hThMhXdzL

— IAAF Diamond League (@Diamond_League) July 16, 2017

USA’s Ameer Webb finished in 2nd place, with Britian’s Zharnel Hughes running a season best of 20.22, to complete the podium places.

In the women’s 1500m Poland’s Angelika Cichocka ran a tactically sound race to take the win over the last 100m in 4:01.93. Great Britian’s Laura Weightman lead going into the final lap, before the pace was increased by stronger athletes in the field. The British athlete finished in 4th place in 4:03.36.

In the men’s 3000m steeplechase Moroccan hero Soufiane El Bakkali, eased to victory to the delight of the local spectators in Rabat.

In the women’s 400m, Olympic champion Shaunae Miller-Uibo left the field in her wake as she crossed the line in 49.80. The race had been dubbed as the battle between the Olympic 400m and 800m champions, but unfortunately 800m champion Caster Semenya didn’t have an answer to Miller-Uibo, and the rest of the field’s strong start, finishing 7th in 51.53.

Also taking place this weekend, was the annual meet in Padova, Italy. Back racing in her signature event, Laura Muir took the 1500m win in 4.05:01, while fellow British athlete, Hanah England recorded a seasons best of 4:09:52 to finish 13th.

In the women’s 200m, USA’s Allyson Felix showed her class taking the victory in 22.80, with GB’s Dina Asher-Smith finishing 3rd in 23.15.

The post GB star sprinter CJ Ujah races to Diamond League hat-trick appeared first on Fast Running.