Northumbria Trio Take On Best Of British

​Three of Northumbria University’s leading athletes step up their summer programmes this weekend as the Muller British Athletics Championships takes centre stage.

The annual showcase of the nation’s leading track and field stars takes place at Birmingham’s Alexander Stadium.

And with British selectors finalising their squad for the 2018 European Championships in Berlin the stakes could hardly be higher for the Northumbria trio.

Pole vaulter Charlie Myers knows a top two finish should be good enough to bag a place on the plane for Germany.

And the Teessider heads to the West Midlands full of confidence following the best possible start to his summer season.

“Charlie is getting better and better and with conditions again looking perfect this weekend I’m confident he’ll have a good meeting,” said Northumbria’s head of track and field, Nick Ridgeon.

“Berlin has been his number one target all year and he’s building up well to be there.”

Myers’ Northumbria team-mates Jack Roach and Lucy Turner will also be looking to make the best of what promises to be a red hot weekend of athletics action in Birmingham.

Roach tackles the long jump on Sunday with Turner taking centre stage in the 100m hurdles on Saturday.

“Both of them will be looking to improve upon some great performances this season and it’s great to see Jack and Lucy flying the flag for Northumbria at the Alexander Stadium,” added Ridgeon.

One Northumbria athlete who won’t be competing at the British Championships is 110m hurdler Jason Nicholson.

But after confirming he will start a business and accounting degree at the university this autumn, the Gateshead Harrier has been selected to represent Great Britain at the World Junior Championships next month.

“Jason didn’t have the best of times out in Mannheim last weekend after he smashed through the hurdles – he just went too fast,” added Ridgeon.

“His pace is blistering right now and he just needs to adjust what he does in between the hurdles to reflect that. It’s all good.”

Nicholson will compete in Tampere, Finland from July 10-15 against the cream of the world’s emerging athletes.