McColgan and Doyle bound for Europeans after Sheffield wins

Courier Country athletes Eilish McColgan and Eilidh Doyle have booked their tickets on the plane to next month’s Belgrade’s European Championships following wins at the UK Indoor Championships/ Team Trials in Sheffield.

Dundee Hawkhill Harrier McColgan pipped fellow Scot Stephanie Twell to win the women’s 3,000m title in nine minutes 05.07 seconds after a sprint over the final 200m, returning to the track to finish second in the 1,500m (4:19.99) behind Sarah McDonald’s (Birchfield) 4:19.41.

Of her 3,000m run, McColgan said: “It was a very slow first one kilometre but I was confident in my kick at the end and I felt strong over the course of the race.”

Pitreavie AC’s Doyle, a 400m hurdles specialist, dominated her heat of the flat 400m in 52.47 but was pushed all the way to the finish in the final by a family effort from Enfield sisters Laviai and Lina Nielsen, who registered 52.86 and 52.89 respectively to the Kinross athlete’s winning 52.63.

Favourite Guy Learmonth (Lasswade) duly delivered in the 800m with a winning 1:48.19 following his indoor personal best of 1:47.04 last week in Karlsruhe.

Andrew Pozzi strengthened his credentials for a podium place in Belgrade by winning the 60m hurdles and equalling the world lead of 4.44 in the heats before clocking 7.51 in the final.

Reigning European 60m champion Richard Kilty suffered disqualification following a false start for the second successive year, leaving Andrew Robertson the winner in 6.57 seconds.

Asha Philip secured her fourth British Indoor title in the women’s 60m, recording 7.19 seconds.

In the long jump, heptathlete Katarina Johnson-Thompson’s 6.69m had to give way to world indoor bronze medallist Lorraine Ugen’s 6.72m.

High jumper Allan Smith (Shaftesbury Barnet/Edinburgh AC) tied on 2.25m with Robbie Grabarz, winning on count-back ahead of the 2012 Olympic bronze medallist.