AVIVA 2012 TRIALS: Osagie impresses in 800m heats while Ennis records high jump season's best

By Tom Reynolds and Jack Zorab, Sportsbeat, in Birmingham

ANDREW Osagie will look to underline his growing reputation after easing into tomorrow's 800m final at the Aviva 2012 Trials in Birmingham.

SOLID: Jess Ennis recorded a 1.89m season's best to win the high jump at the Aviva 2012 Trials (Getty Images/Aviva Athletics)

Osagie was a confident heat winner while Michael Rimmer and Gareth Warburton, the two other athletes with the required A selection standard, also won with ease.

"It’s been an up and down year with lots of little niggles which is not ideal for a big year like this. Hopefully I’m coming to form at the right time," said Rimmer, a silver medallist at the 2010 European Championships and semi-finalist at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

"I'm not going into the final with any negative thoughts. You’ve got to think like a boxer, you can’t think of anything negative.

"I’m going to go out there to try and win it. Hopefully I can do it, I’ve been there and done it before so I’ve got that experience."

Perri Shakes Drayton was the star of last year's trials, winning a 400m and 400m hurdles double but this year's British number one Eilidh Child was quickest into the 400m hurdles final in 55.83 secs.

Shakes Drayton also won her heat while Megan Beesley, who still needs to run a personal best 55.50 A standard to stand a chance of Olympic selection, also progressed with ease but will need a big improvement in tomorrow's final.

Robert Tobin was quickest into the men's 400m final in 45.77 secs but will also need to better his time to stand a chance of a place on Team GB.

Martyn Rooney and Nigel Levine, who have both run the Olympic A standard, also advanced as heat winners.

In the absence of world silver medallist Hannah England, who is recovering from being spiked in Hengelo earlier this month, former world medallist Lisa Dobriskey progressed to the 1500m final as the quickest qualifier. Rising star Laura Weightman, coached by Steve Cram, is expected to be her chief rival on Sunday after also winning her heat.

Lee Doran won the men's javelin with a personal best throw of 79.72 metres, still well down on the top level Olympic qualifying standard he needs.

Roald Bradstock, 50, who competed at the 1984 Los Angeles Games, became the oldest medallist in the event since 1936 with a world age group record of 72.78m earning him silver. British number one Mervyn Luckwell, who has the Olympic A standard, was absent from the trials.

Eden Francis will travel to the European Championships in Helsinki, after retaining her national women's shot title, still searching for another Olympic B standard throw.

Francis has a season's best of 17.24m - just four centimetres better than the lowest level selection distance - but won in Birmingham with a best of only 16.13m.

"I'm happy to retain the title but I'm really disappointed with the distance, I was hoping to throw a lot further," she admitted, before going on to win the discus title a couple of hours later.

"This is not the ideal venue for throwing big distances but I've got the European Championships to look forward to know and hopefully I can do it there. I know I'm capable of doing it."

However, there is unlikely to be a British representative in the women's high jump, won at the trials by former heptathlon world champion Jess Ennis with a season's best 1.89m.

The best of the rest was Emma Pooley but she needs a big improvement on her personal best to secure the standard - with the selection window closing in just over a week.

And Phillips Idowu is likely to be the only British athlete in the men's triple jump after Larry Achike won the national title with a distance well off the qualifying standard.

Idowu is absent from Birmingham as he battles an unknown injury while British number two Nathan Douglas has been ruled out of the rest of the season.

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© Sportsbeat 2012