Hinchliffe aims for fairytale Olympic qualification at UK trials

Only doubly successful nan past 30 years has a clip of little than 10 seconds been basal to declare triumph successful nan men's 100m astatine nan UK Athletics Championships - but that could beryllium nan minimum request for Britain's Olympic hopefuls this weekend.

Rising 21-year-old sprint prima Louie Hinchliffe, coached by athletics icon Carl Lewis astatine nan University of Houston, will statement up arsenic nan second-fastest European man this twelvemonth aft moving 9.95 earlier successful June.

Jeremiah Azu, who clocked a wind-assisted title grounds 9.90 to triumph nan British title successful 2022, has besides surgery nan 10-second obstruction this year.

Reigning British champion and world bronze medallist Zharnel Hughes, who misses nan championships arsenic he recovers from a hamstring injury, is already assured of an Olympic 100m place.

That leaves two-time British champion Reece Prescod, European medallist Romell Glave and Eugene Amo-Dadzie - nan self-styled 'world's fastest accountant' - among those besides battling to beryllium portion of Team GB.

The last British athletics squad for Paris 2024 will beryllium announced connected Friday, 5 July, pursuing nan championships successful Manchester connected 29 and 30 June.

To beryllium assured of a chance to title an individual arena astatine nan Olympics, athletes must execute a top-two decorativeness astatine nan qualifiers, and besides achieved nan World Athletics qualification standard.

Keely Hodgkinson, Josh Kerr, Katarina Johnson-Thompson, Matthew Hudson-Smith, Dina Asher-Smith, Daryll Neita, Molly Caudery and Laura Muir are among nan different high-profile names group to compete astatine Manchester Regional Arena.

It could beryllium 1 of Britain's lesser-known names who provides 1 of nan stories of nan championships - and perchance moreover nan Olympic Games themselves.

Sheffield-born Hinchliffe announced himself arsenic a genuine contender for Paris qualification aft pursuing up a singular wind-assisted clip of 9.84 successful May by becoming nan first European man successful history to triumph nan United States' collegiate 100m title.

In doing truthful he recorded his first ineligible tally nether 10 seconds to spell sixth connected nan British all-time list, arsenic he continues his accelerated improvement nether nan guidance of nine-time Olympic golden medallist Lewis.

Azu declared his semipermanent extremity is nan British record aft he became nan first Welsh sprinter to break nan 10-second obstruction successful wind-legal conditions erstwhile he clocked 9.97 past month, but first he will activity to regain his British title connected Saturday.

Prescod, British champion successful 2017 and 2018, ran nan 10.00 seconds modular astatine nan commencement of June, while Glave clocked 10.05 for European bronze and CJ Ujah has a champion of 10.07 since returning from a doping ban.

With relay places besides up for grabs, different contenders see Ojie Edoburun, pinch a champion clip of 10.10 this year, and Amo-Dadzie, who became nan joint-fourth fastest British antheral of each clip pinch 9.93 past twelvemonth and has tally 10.12 successful 2024.

Gold badge hopes Kerr and Hodgkinson person already booked their tickets to Paris and will return nan opportunity to compete complete different distances successful Manchester.

World 1500m champion Kerr is entered successful nan men's 800m, while Olympic and world 800m metallic medallist Hodgkinson will title nan women's 400m aft winning European golden contempt illness a fortnight ago.

But location is plentifulness other to beryllium decided successful keenly contested middle-distance events.

In Hodgkinson's absence, respective women will beryllium eyeing a top-two decorativeness successful nan women's 800m, led by Jemma Reekie who has nan second-fastest British clip this twelvemonth of 1 infinitesimal 57.45 seconds.

Teenage sensation Phoebe Gill will statement up arsenic a contender aft breaking nan 45-year European under-18 grounds successful 1:57.86 2 weeks aft turning 17 successful May, while Erin Wallace has besides gone nether nan 1:59.30 modular and Alexandra Bell has tally nether 2 minutes this year.

Former world champion Jake Wightman will activity to suffice from a competitory men's 1500m against nan likes of European 5,000m metallic medallist George Mills, Elliot Giles and Neil Gourley arsenic he continues to return to afloat fittingness pursuing injury.

Muir will beryllium favourite to triumph a 5th British title successful nan women's 1500m, pursuing a hugely promising 3:56.35 successful Eugene, but will look title from Katie Snowden, Georgia Bell and Revee Walcott-Nolan.

Kerr's introduction into nan men's 800m adds other intrigue to an breathtaking line-up, featuring already qualified world bronze medallist Ben Pattison, Giles, Daniel Rowden and Max Burgin - who fell crossed nan statement for 3rd in a melodramatic title past year.

Neita is connected nan introduction lists for some nan women's 100m and 200m events arsenic she eyes a sprint double successful Paris.

That should mean nan crowd are treated to a showdown betwixt nan European 200m metallic medallist and Asher-Smith, nan European 100m champion, successful nan 200m connected Sunday.

Neita told BBC Sport earlier this twelvemonth she is targeting individual medals successful Paris and, while she was "distraught" to miss retired connected golden successful Rome, she has achieved nan Olympic qualifying times successful some events.

That is besides nan lawsuit for erstwhile world 200m champion Asher-Smith, who replaced Neita arsenic nan fastest European complete 100m this twelvemonth by moving 10.96 this month. Athletes who want to double up astatine nan Games do not person to compete successful their 2nd arena astatine nan tests - that last determination is taken by a action panel.

Other names to watch retired for see nan improving Amy Hunt, 22, and 23-year-old Amber Anning, who has continued to advancement successful nan United States and clocked 22.60 to break nan 25-year-old British indoor 200m grounds successful January, earlier moving nan third-fastest 400m by a British female pinch 49.51 successful May.

World indoor rod vault champion Caudery will dream to erstwhile again radiance successful beforehand of a location crowd aft collecting European bronze successful Rome earlier this period and mounting a new British grounds of 4.92m past weekend, while Olympic bronze medallist Holly Bradshaw is targeting her 4th Games.

There was interest for Johnson-Thompson aft nan two-time world champion was forced to retreat aft 3 events of nan European heptathlon title pinch a "small niggle successful her correct leg".

Combined events athletes must compete successful astatine slightest 1 arena and Johnson-Thompson is entered for respective disciplines - though support not to compete astatine nan tests tin beryllium granted successful nan lawsuit of wounded aliases illness.