Malcolm,
Baulch, Fraser and Holmes head line-up for AAA Indoor Championships
Chris Turner for IAAF
25 January 2001 - In the wake of a successful Olympics for Great Britain in particular her athletics team, the total number of entries for the 2001 Norwich Union World Indoor Trials and AAA's Championships are up on the overall figures for last year's event.
The championships which take place at the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham this weekend (27th and 28th January) have also attracted a number of star names. The men's line up at 200 metres is headed by World indoor 400 metres champion Jamie Baulch who will face the tough challenge of Christian Malcolm who took the European Indoor 200 metres title twelve months ago in Ghent.
Malcolm had a marvellous Olympics finishing in fifth place in the 200 metres final (20.19 sec semi and 20.23 sec final). In contrast Baulch was disastrously eliminated in his Olympic 400m heat and needs a good performance if he is to mount a serious defence of his World title in Lisbon at the beginning of March.
The 400 metres should also produce another good clash with Olympic semi-finalist Daniel Caines who won this title last year, racing against Mark Hylton who produced an impressive 46.78 seconds comeback from injury on this track a fortnight ago, and Du'aine Thorne-Ladejo who was European Indoor champion in 1994 and 1996.
The women's programme is headed by Olympic 800m bronze medallist Kelly Holmes who flies in from her training base in South Africa where on Monday night in Rustenburg she won a 1000 metres in a comfortable 2:43.69 minutes. Holmes wants to run the 800 metres at the World indoor championships in Lisbon but after a career blighted by injury she sensibly is not prepared to make predictions about winning a world title -
"In Sydney I stayed relaxed and enjoyed it and in that same spirit I'm going to go to the indoor season...in Lisbon as with the whole season I'm looking to do nothing more than to continue boosting my confidence. I know my time will come and that I'm capable of getting a gold medal. I have been dealt the short straw so many times it must be my chance soon" commented Holmes.
Donna Fraser who finished fourth at the 400 metres in Sydney with a stunning new personal best of 49.79 seconds after training with Cathy Freeman over the summer will run the 200 metres in Birmingham and like Holmes is also aiming at the World Indoor Championships -
"I'm really looking forward to getting back on the track" said Fraser. "I'm trying not to put too much pressure on myself or look too far ahead. I've always regarded the indoor season as a bit of fun. It's a great way to split up the winter and test your fitness...its warm inside! I've run well over 200 metres indoors before (PB 22.96sec). The closeness of the crowd definitely gives you an extra buzz. I would like to make the GB team for Portugal but I'll just see how it goes."
Commonwealth Long jump champion Jo Wise, UK Pole Vault record holder Janine Whitlock are some of the leading field event entries and there will also be a smattering of foreign athletes competing including Lieja Koeman who was ninth in the Olympic shot final.
