World Indoor Championships - Day 2, Part 1 Athletics

Colin Jackson has won his first gold

medal. He is the champion of the

world.

Athletics supporters are

looking not just with admiration but

in all.

Perri Shakes-Drayton for

Britain!

He is the world champion!

Hassan is closing and Laura Muir is

using her to try to

Hassan is closing and Laura Muir is

using her to try to get to Dibaba.

She's definitely got a medal. What

colour will it be. Dibaba trying to

make it three world titles in a row,

taking again, Hassan tries and here

comes Laura Muir, one last effort,

Dibaba, looking for the line. She's

just about going to make it. Genzebe

Dibaba gets the gold medal, Hassan

gets the silver, Laura Muir the

bronze. 2.37 for the last kilometre,

that is very quick indeed.

Snow day?

Good morning. Wherever you are with

us this morning, we are glad you are

with us, indoors and snuggled up and

ready for a great morning of

athletics here in Birmingham. It is

day two

athletics here in Birmingham. It is

day two of the world indoor champ

Egypt and as you saw just there,

Great Britain had a fantastic start

last night with Laura Muir making

the important breakthrough, moving

herself from fourth in the World

Championships in London to getting

on the rostrum here in Birmingham.

It was a great way to end the first

evening and I was joint last night

as I will be the next few days by my

wonderful colleagues Michael Johnson

and Paula Radcliffe and we have all

decided to go Burgundy for some

reason this morning. We don't

coordinate, clearly, but guys, that

was a good way to end the evening

session. It was not very packed but

it feels like for Team GB and Laura

Muir in particular, that could be a

real breakthrough moment.

Yes, it is

a huge breakthrough. She's calm in

the last couple of times to

Championships with the expectation

on herself and from herself largely

that she wanted to get a medal and

now she's kind of got it off her

back a little bit. She did it

obviously add the European indoors

but this is a different level and

that was a top-quality women's 3000

metres last night. We talked about

it before the race and for her to

come in with everything she is

managing with her studies and

everything at the moment, that is a

huge confidence booster and both

really well for the 1500.

That is

one of the stack traces of the whole

meat, if you like, Hellen Obiri, the

champion in London, the 5000 metres,

she beat her to get onto the

rostrum, the psychological barriers

athletes must overcome to realise

their greatness, not to be

underestimated.

Absolutely, and what

we have seen over the last two years

with her is that she has started to

gain confidence. She has started to

become more sure of herself. She

came into this championship feeling

like she really has an opportunity

as opposed to, --... I wonder if she

has believed how much she can get on

the rostrum in the past, like we did

all wanted and I think a lot of the

country wanted her to be there but I

don't know if she felt she was ready

yet but she came into the

championships feeling like she was

ready and there was a real

opportunity for her to take

advantage.

And she won't be in the

Commonwealth Games because of her

studies and this season is a strange

one, with a major championship very

early and that the European

Championships later in the summer,

and no other global occasion for

her. If ever there was a season to

finish off your Bettinelli studies

and get it out of the way, this was

it. -- your veteran Terry studies.

It adds even more abrasiveness to

take that out of it.

It could put on

a roll for the rest of the year

because she knows what she has been

managing and she's had to make a

difficult decision because for her,

representing Scotland at the

Commonwealth Games, challenging for

a medal, that would be really

important for her but she knows she

wants to finish off her studies well

and then she has got the medal on

the global stage at the world

indoors in her home country as well.

Building towards that, hopefully the

exams go well and she comes through

fully qualified because that will

give her another boost going into

the Europeans.

You will see the race

in full in a moment but she

travelled down here in that

horrendous weather, you had seen it

on the news, Scotland is pretty much

closed in the last 24 hours,

airports, roads and motorways and it

took the best part of ten hours to

get down here, cost £1500 in a cab.

There was no other way. I think it

was money well spent because she

gets prize for getting on the

rostrum! Some of that has been eaten

away but she did not Adebayor though

she might have to pay it back! But

it was worth it -- she did not have

too pay. And this morning, we can

see Katarina Johnson-Thompson and

I'm wondering if the pentathlon for

her could be a similar moment, she

has won a European indoor title but

if she takes the opportunity with no

Tien, to get herself up on top spot,

it could be another breakthrough

moment.

It could be but it is a

different situation. Katarina

Johnson-Thompson has been a

favourite to get on the rostrum and

to get a medal, win a medal and she

has failed to do so. This is an

opportunity for her and I think it

is a pivotal moment in her career,

really. If she can't make it happen

here, where she should be a

medallist, if you can't make it

happen here and if we see a repeat

of what we have seen over the past

few years, where she fails in an

event and completely bombs and

spirals out of control in terms of

confidence, it is going to be very

difficult to come back from that

because then you sort of have this

stigma and you start to doubt

yourself as an athlete when that

happens and that is very difficult

to come out of. It will be

interesting to see. I am

anticipating commie you know, and

wanting to see what is going to

happen with her because I think it

really, truly is a pivotal moment

and it will symbolise, you know, it

will come to indicate what we can

expect or not from her in the

future.

She joked, and you will hear

her Bryce Boarman Slater, because it

is five events, at least one of her

weaker events is not happening which

is the throwing. She still has to be

the shot but no javelin in here,

clearly!

And I think that's a big

factor for her because she

definitely worries a lot about the

javelin coming up, particularly if

she has a little wobble in one of

the events beforehand. Whereas here,

she does not have that worry about.

If she has a small wobble, she knows

she has strong events to back it up

and come back with so I think she is

more comfortable indoors. I think

she's in a good place right now. She

relocated to France and it has gone

well. She seems to be in really good

shape. I think she's just excited

and looking forward to getting out

there.

And in front of a home-grown

as well, another opportunity for

British athletes, Asha Phillip and

some of world's great sprinters,

Elaine Thompson and Dafne Schippers

in the 60 metres heats this morning

as well and we talked a bit

yesterday about the difference

between indoors and outdoors, this

is one of the most marked in the

sense of the personnel we might

expect to see on the rostrum. You

would not necessarily think the men

we are going to see and the women we

are going to see would be the people

who would win Olympic gold in two

years' time because actually, the

start is everything in 60 metres.

Yes, the 60 metres, it is over as

soon as it starts, it is all about

your start and your drive. Once you

transition out of the drive, into

your maximum velocity sprinting, the

race is over. Those athletes who

need some time to open up and get

the stride going and then can take

advantage of a longer stride, those

athletes typically don't do so well

in the 60 metres but they are much

better at the 100 metres. This

favours those who have a quick

start, shorter in stature, typical,

better at 60 metres because those

athletes can take advantage of the

dried phase and stain it longer,

where you are putting forth into the

track that propels you forward. This

is a race,, Asha Philip is one of

those athletes who is built for

this. She is a British record

holder. This should be a real

opportunity for her today. This is

going to be tough, though. There are

some great athletes in here and you

have some like Elaine Thompson, who

could actually run really well at 60

and transition has start over to

this event even though she is the

world 100 metres champion, Olympic

champion, rather but I think Asha

Philip has an opportunity and she

should be right in the middle of it.

Her objective should be trying to

get into the final and anything can

happen.

She won gold in the European

indoors in Belgrade and she took a

lot of confidence from that going

into the outdoor season last year.

All that and we are on until 1:30pm.

Then we will switch over to the red

button for half an hour. We have got

you well covered for your snow day

off work, lots of live sport coming

away and we would like to hear from

you, if you've got something to say.

Maybe you've got a question for the

experts and we will be joined by

Greg Rutherford no less today, who

of course is not competing, he

decided after his Glasgow Grand Prix

event last week that he was not

quite ready to be on the stage. We

will talk about what he will expect

from the season but you might have

some questions so get them in. Let's

have a look at how the morning is

going to plan out and where you can

plan your coffee

going to plan out and where you can

plan your coffee and hot chocolate

breaks. The birds live action on the

track is at 10am.

You will see Kevin Mayer this

morning, the new king of the

decathlon and how is he going to

take to the heptathlon? Katarina

Johnson-Thompson, as we were just

saying, has high hopes in the

pentathlon. The long jump, one of

Cage 80's -- Katarina

Johnson-Thompson's best events. And

then the men's 400 metres heats

Johnson-Thompson's best events. And

then the men's 400 metres heats.

Then the high which is one of KJT's

real world-class events. Eilidh

Doyle in the 400 metres heats. She

has been such a huge part of Team

GB's athletics squad in the last few

years, captained the team, always

leads by example and pulls it out on

the big occasions. She is going in

that. Just before 1p, the heats for

the men's 3000 metres. And at

1:20pm, pentathlon shot put. I

promise you we would really have

that women's 3000 metres final last

night. It was inside this arena, the

only event on the track last night.

It was the only gold medal up for

grabs on the track and your

commentators are Paula Radcliffe and

Steve Cram.

COMMENTATOR: The 3,000-metre race

which brings together the quick 1500

metres runners, the distance

specialist as well and with Laura

Muir having run a 1.59 800 metres,

you would say the likes of Genzebe

Dibaba will not hang around. Others

can finish last, as Paul rightly

said. Paul, as ever, these races

tend to start a bit slowly and at

some point, it is going to get

going.

They do but the price. Being

the slowness went to Genzebe Dibaba,

there. She was so keen she was going

to get behind Sifan Hassan that she

gave the other is a good second also

head start and she's got what she

wanted, now she is able to track

Sifan Hassan and keep arise on the

rest of the field and it is Laura

Muir who has found herself at the

front is probably what the rest of

the field would have expected.

I

think Laura is an athlete who excels

indoors. Some people... She's a

great outdoor runner but she's even

better indoors, idling. That is

partly her stature, which helps. She

was saying the bad weather in

Glasgow, she has been training

indoors, obviously, it is an indoor

Championships, already not too happy

with her slow pace, Obiri right

there as well. Only one Kenyan in

there but Klosterhalfen also likes

to front run, and Klosterhalfen, a

slightly longer stride, might feel a

bit more comfortable out front. I

don't think we will get so much

pushing and shoving in the 3000.

Laura Muir set off at a reasonable

pace. Not too slow. It is certainly

not the race pace these women are

capable of.

And you can see Eilish

McColgan as well having to chop her

stride. Like Klosterhalfen, she has

a very long stride. She's kind of

trapped on the kerb behind Laura

Muir and she is dropping her stride,

getting clipped a bit by Dominique

Scott behind her and you can tell

that she's not happy that. If a gap

opens up, don't be surprised if you

see Eilish McColgan grab it as

Klosterhalfen seems to have decided

to wait her time of it.

Six of the

last seven champions in this

distance have come from Ethiopia.

The one that didn't was Hellen Obiri

from Kenya. Were it not to be one of

the two nations winning, we would be

breaking a long... It goes all the

way back, the championship have not

always been held every two years, in

2003 it was in Birmingham, and the

year after they were held

immediately, so that was

immediately, so that was when Defar

won the first four titles and Dibaba

would love to make it three. Sifan

Hassan won the world 1500 metres

indoor title in Poland. She is no

slouch in the latter stages, and she

has won a 5000 metres outdoor medal.

Sifan Hassan, there. Only run one

race, will that count against a

little bit, only one 3000 metres

this year?

It counts against us in

terms of knowing what kind of shape

she then. It took her some time to

settle into the training group with

Alberto Salazar important. She was

not really has of last year. Genzebe

Dibaba, now, quickly making a move

around the outside. Sifan Hassan has

not responded although she has moved

wide and started to close up now. I

don't think it is the decisive move

from Genzebe Dibaba but she's

getting herself in closer order and

recognising the fact that

Klosterhalfen had gone hard to the

front and made her bid to stretch

this out of it.

3.14, the first

kilometre is very slow indeed so

this has almost become a 2000 metres

race and it was almost at this

point, in fact, the lap before, just

about now, that Dibaba last time in

Portland, put in a 63 400-metre

stretch would brew the field apart.

I don't think she's going to do that

here, Klosterhalfen is willing to

front runner and she will be

delighted about that, her young

team-mate has just gone past Laura

Muir. All the big names, just

starting to gather behind

Klosterhalfen, who will now have to

make this a long one for home. She

is capable of it. She is very

strong. This will be wearing people

down gradually. It is a case of if

you cant hang on, particularly for

the likes of Eilish McColgan. -- of

can you hang on. Lots of the others

now know the next 1000 metres is

going to determine whether or not

they can hang on to be there when

the medals are handed out.

I think this will be along

I think this will be along the

turning of the screw from

Klosterhalfen.

The big names are

noticeably reacting quickly to that

and she is comfortable. She is very

fearless and not afraid to run from

the front. She has run 8.36 on her

own indoors, so she knows her place.

She can almost run better when she

is free of the field. She will be

glancing up at the screens and will

have seen the effect that the surge

has had on the rest of the field.

A

very slow first 1500 metres, and

harping back to 2016, died Barber

Dashti

Dashti Barber ran on that occasion.

Klosterhalfen will want to do

something similar. She doesn't have

the 1500 metre pace, but she has run

four minutes in the outdoors. But

you get the feeling that for her she

will be hoping she can whittle this

town, gradually get rid of a phew.

-- with all this down. She has a

look over her shoulder, and going

down the back straight she will have

a good view of who is exactly there.

But it is Dibaba, Obiri, Dominique

Scott, Worku, Hoolahan, then hellish

McColgan. -- Eilish McColgan.

She

was the front but she wasn't doing

anything with it and I don't think

she wants be there. Her one 3000

metres this year, she went out too

fast and she paid for it in the

closing stages. I think within her

planets not to go too fast in the

closing stages, set it up so she can

react to it.

2.53 for the second

thousand metres and we are in a real

race. Dibaba has decided, I will

take this on from here. Obiri is

quick to cover and Laura Muir is

trying to cover the gap.

Klosterhalfen having to check.

Eilish McColgan has tailed off at

this point. They are coming up to

four laps, 800 metres and Dibaba

making a run for home. Laura Muir

has a great chance and is very much

involved. There are now nine, sorry,

eight clear of the rest then a big

gap, and Dibaba is having to work

hard and not having as much affected

she would have wished.

Sifan Hassan

moves around Laura Muir and onto the

shoulder of Klosterhalfen and she

has nerves of steel. She did not

panic at all. A little bit of a clip

as she went too close to

Klosterhalfen and Laura Muir goes

around but we have to watch as

Klosterhalfen moved away.

Dibaba is

turning the screw. Even Obiri is

struggling. Laura Muir wanted to get

ahead but didn't have the pace.

Having to work hard to find position

but she still has a chance. Obiri is

fading. The effort from Dibaba might

have put paid to Obiri's chances.

They come round, 400 metres, two

laps left.

She still has a chance

because Dibaba is not moving more

quickly away and she is in the

slipstream of Sifan Hassan. Don't go

too soon and beware of the lapped

runners as they go round.

They

haven't got rid of Obiri but she is

trying to hang on to Laura Muir. And

now Hassan is bringing Laura Muir

back and Dibaba threw in a 31 after

a 33 and a 32. Dibaba trying to kick

again and it looks like there could

be a medal for Laura Muir, but

Dibaba has to try and pick it up.

Hassan and Laura Muir are coming.

Just getting closer. Step-by-step.

Hassan is closing and Laura Muir is

using it to get to Dibaba. She has

definitely got a medal. What colour

will it be? Dibaba trying to make it

three world titles in a row and

kicks again. Here comes Laura Muir.

One last effort. Dibaba looking for

the line and she will just about

make it. Dibaba gets the goal and

Hassan gets the silver and Laura

Muir gets the bronze -- gets the

gold. 2.37 for the last kilometre

and that is very, very quick indeed.

Eilish McColgan just watching her,

stepping on the curb as she comes

into the last 20 metres. Well, I

thought Laura would have to run

extremely well to get a medal in

this field. You had to beat somebody

very good and that was Helan Obiri.

Hats off to Dibaba, she went hard

and knew what she had to do. Hassan

almost brought Laura back to her. I

thought Dibaba was struggling with

400 to go, but she found something

else. 31.4 before she went to the

last 400 metres and she last -- ran

the

the last in 61.4.

That is very fast

of the quicker second thousand

metres that is what has done the

damage. Laura Muir has run really

well. A fleeting second I thought

Dibaba had got lapped wrong and she

had overcooked it. I thought she was

tiring with 200 metres to go but she

found enough to pick it up again for

the last lap and stay clear of the

two who were chasing who sensed she

was fading and they had the bit

between their teeth. Laura Muir did

nothing wrong and got herself in

position to almost get past Hassan.

And in the last few strides she just

didn't have enough left in the legs.

But I am pleased for Sifan Hassan.

After the Lear -- her year last

year, she needed a boost. She came

out and she got it tonight.

She has

had a great rivalry with Dibaba. The

Laura Muir should be delighted, and

she is. It is something she excels

at indoors, and to come here and win

a medal is something she's

thoroughly deserves. She has a tough

year ahead in terms of her studies

and we've heard about that, and she

will be around at the European

Championships in the summer and

heading to the worlds next year.

Genzebe Dibaba.

Laura, I don't need to say much more

than your first global medal.

Yes,

I'm so happy. I can't believe I got

one now. It feels like it's been

coming for so long and I'm so glad I

got it today.

There's been so much

talk about how strong Matfield is

and how special is in knowing that

you got sure medal against that

field?

Getting a world medal is

really tough but everyone in that

race, all the fastest times in the

world are there, so to come away

with a medal in that field and being

close to the front when the three of

us broke away, I'm so happy.

When we

saw the break of three, we knew a

medal was coming. Did you think you

could have got the silver on the

home straight?

The legs were tired.

That last ten metres, I was happy to

stay on my two feet and my legs were

really tired. There are so many

different ways the race could have

panned out, but I could have been

fourth or fifth, so to come away

with a medal, no disappointment at

all.

We saw you going to the front

at the very beginning. How did that

race go to plan?

Yes, I came away

with the goods so it went to plan.

At the start with there being lots

of people in the race I just wanted

to be out of trouble and not out

wide so I could conserve energy and

then go into the slipstream when the

pace picked up. I did that and tried

to make the move is the best I could

so I was with the pace but not going

too hard and strong at the end. It

worked and I came away with a medal.

You seem to love indoor running. You

are almost built for it.

I train

most of the years indoors. It

doesn't wreck great weather in

Scotland -- get great weather. I

like the atmosphere in here and it's

a bit shorter, so it helps me round

the bends.

What will it do for your

confidence and development moving

forward?

The huge amount. I won my

first medal at the European indoors,

so to get my first world medal, I

can't explain what it does to my

confidence, not just the European

stage, but the world stage as well.

You are back tomorrow night for the

1500. How do the legs feel?

Feeling

OK. I just need to get the recovery,

and I've got the sheik already, and

I will see my therapist and get a

good nights sleep. Probably better

preparation than last night.

JJ charm is asking the questions,

and those 1500 metres heats go on to

night. Most of the field she would

have been delighted to have beaten

will be in those feats, so I imagine

they will take a well earned rest

this morning. -- in those heats.

Dibaba is one of the only women's

athletes to win three consecutive

indoor goals -- goals. It was a

great moment for Laura Muir to get

herself amongst the medals at a

Europe -- Championships and she was

agonisingly close in London, and at

the time we sat in London, and I

know it was not a warm summer,

Michael, and we said, these athletes

have to take that next step up and

have do believe they can get amongst

the medals. Well, first time of

asking.

Absolutely, and I think she

has always believed it. The problem

has been the quality of field she

has been up against and maybe she

slightly went a bit too early in

London but the only you learn that

is to get it wrong a few times. Then

you pace it better. She talked about

the way her plan was to keep some

think and react and not go too soon

last night and I think she

definitely learned those lessons

from the races she had been in

before and put those into place last

night and it's going to be a big

boost for her moving forward. We

will see a more confident Laura Muir

racing tomorrow.

We talked about

getting tactics right in that

environment and it is so important.

She wants to be a front runner and

we see her in the Grand Prix is, as

a pacemaker, brilliant at that, but

Championships are different and it's

not until you've been in that

environment a few times that you

work out the intelligence.

It is

more complex when you are indoors

because of the conditioning and

having to make sure the positioning

is right and you are not blocked in.

It is more difficult. But this was a

great confidence boost for her. It's

interesting that we talked a lot

last night about her studies and how

she is taking a different approach

this year because of the studies.

With this behind her and this sort

of championship performance, getting

on the medal podium, she has the

opportunity to do that outdoors and

she will have to be full-time

focused on athletics to get on the

rostrum. The world championships,

then the Olympics after that, it

will take everything she has. It's

great she is able to do that this

year with her studies, but next year

it has to be full-time.

Small pets

have to move to a side. Let's look

at the last 600 metres.

This is where the tactics came into

play and she raced smart.

She did,

she raced smartly. What she had to

basically do is override the

competitive instinct is all of us

that says, go. In the past she has

gone hard and tried to match the

surges. Where is here she is more

clever in the way she runs, building

away from fifth up to third. She has

her eyes on the back of Sifan

Hassan's head and is waiting and

keeping everything left for the

final straight, whereas previous

times she has gone a bit too soon

because the natural instinct is to

go when you can and you feel you

have the energy. I think both her

and Sifan Hassan at this stage, has

Dibaba gone too soon? She looks as

though she is tightening up in the

shoulders and leaning back. I don't

know where Sifan Hassan looks when

she is racing, and it is almost

inside the curve, but in that way

she can and throw her arms wide and

Laura is aware of it. She knows to

try and go around the bends passed

Sifan Hassan. She has raised enough

against her to know that. She is

waiting, and pair are closing on

Dibaba. That gives them a boost. She

possibly could see them down the

back straight on the screen.

You

thought Laura might just have Sifan

Hassan on the line.

Both of them

were drifting. Dibaba was drifting

out, and that happens at the end of

races. There was a lapped athlete in

the way as well. Maybe that played a

role in the fact that they were

drifting on the outside.

We have had

a few comments about this on social

media.

David Tolbert said if that was short

track speed skating, because we are

all obsessed about this, Sifan

Hassan would have been given a

penalty. She impeded Laura Muir

massively.

It is short track but

it's not speed skating. It's not

speed skating, this is athletics.

The lapped athlete did make a

difference, at this point Hassan is

coming out because she is thinking,

iMac catch the lapped athlete and

she does not want to be caught -- I

might catch. It's also smart running

for the indoors. You have to aware

of that. We have seen it so many

times that athletes come down the

home stretch and start to drift to

the outside because it's what the

athletes naturally do.

That is track

etiquette.

They will see someone

come on the inside and pass them

which is the most ridiculous thing,

so it's smart running.

We saw the

quite a bit in London. If there was

a problem, Laura would have raised

it.

If there is a problem Laura

would have raised it. There is the

lapped athlete and Dibaba is

drifting wide, more noticing a

lapped athlete, but it is track

etiquette because our athletes

finishing fast behind you. If you

cross the line a new collapse in the

lane, you will impede the athletes

finishing, so you drift to the

outside as you cross the line and I

think they are doing it early. Sifan

Hassan, her eyes are fixed on the

back of Dibaba, so that causes her

to drift.

Laura Woods had said something if

you. You would -- if she had

virtuous definitely impeded, if it

was five metres further, she might

have caught Sifan Hassan but whether

Hassan moved out or not, she would

not get there in the time they reach

the line and she was happy with the

bronze medal and she can build on

that.

Last night, we had the men's

and women's high jump competitions

and the men's ended up being a real

ding-dong but Danil Lysenko came out

on top.

COMMENTATOR: Massive jump from Danil

Lysenko. That is a gold-medal jump.

He looks as good as Barshim, he

matched him and in the NT bettered

him.

I tell you what, he turned it

into a library. I've seen that and

the crowd, bless them, were

incredibly, immaculately quiet, you

could hear his feet scraping and he

just composed himself. That is

class. Look at that.

Very competent

jump and you know what, a bit of

needle because that is the man who

was deprived of a gold-medal last

summer to Mutaz Essa Barshim. They

have swapped places, gold becomes

silver and vice versa, and Danil

Lysenko has risen to the top.

STUDIO: Maria Lasitskene, who is

jumping and authorise neutral

athlete because she is Russian has

been dominate in high jump for a

while now and this was her 38th

consecutive victory, she made it

look very easy, clearing 1.96, the

only athlete to do so and she did

have an adept at 2.06 bit later but

Morgan Lake of Great Britain

finished fourth in the end. This is

her clearing 1.93, a seasoned's best

but because of earlier failures, she

did not get a share of medals. She

could have potentially shared bronze

or even silver if she had cleared

the earlier heights but that was not

to be. Afterwards, JJ Chalmers posed

the questions.

to be. Afterwards, JJ Chalmers posed

the questions.

I hate to go in with a cliche early

but fourth-place is pretty bitter.

Yes, it's not a fun place to be

especially being able to jump the

same as silver and bronze, 1.93 and

count back, yes, it is a bittersweet

moment.

How frustrating was it that

ultimately came to the count back

and really came down to the first

two no jumps?

I was quite nervous at

the start, it's quite a big

occasion, my home championships, I

let it get the best of me. I jumped

85 in warm-ups so I knew it was

there, lucky to get my third attempt

on that at the beginning but in the

end it counted against me.

Having

said all that, after the two verse

to no jumps, the thoughts in the

stadium were clearly ominous but he

managed to compose yourself and you

got it. How did you feel then?

I

actually thought I had knocked it

because I hit it and I saw it

rattling and I thought, "Please, I

just need a bit of luck". The jobs

following that were much better.

Definitely a part of my condition I

need to work on. -- the jumps

following that.

By the time you

played 1.93, una ritual, talking to

yourself, what were you saying?

I

was just going through my run-up and

what I needed to do and making sure

I was in the moment and taking in

the crowd.

It is an improvement on

your global successes so far.

Definitely some positives to take

forward to the Commonwealth Games?

Definitely, season 's best and

fourth in the world so I can't

complain going into the Gold Coast

in a few weeks.

Fantastic, it was

great to watch and well done,

unfortunately forth.

Well done.

It

is good morning and welcome to the

field team, Steve Backley, good

morning and Toni Minichiello. And

that hide jump competition last

night from Morgan Lake, starting

with her, just frustrating because

to fail on the earlier heights as

she did, that is the whole thing

about getting your clearances early,

when you come to the count back, you

are going to miss out on a global

medal.

It cost her a medal without a

shadow of the doubt, the first

tight, 1.84, third time clearance

was a good show of character because

it was not going to plan and that is

what any coach will tell you,

execute the plan and it was going to

plan so it was an instinctive jump

to get clear but

to get clear but come so close, to

clear a height but not quite beat

it.

There were a few athletes, we

were quite surprised to see, failing

at earlier heights, one of the

tweets which has coming already from

avid spectator why where there's so

many failures, did the markings

confuse the jumpers, and we had this

thing where they were jumping

towards each other in the new

configurations, anything to do with

that?

I was chatting with the

coaches last night and the athletes

found the surface very quick, a

factor, the orientation, the

orientation, the geography was

unique but the biggest factor is it

is the world indoor Championships,

lots of the guys are in heavy

trading, they come out for a few

weeks to get ready, the adrenaline

is flowing and they are running

quickly and it is hard to handle. I

think it is as simple as that. First

night of the athletic is a bit of a

shock to the system, there were a

few rabbits in headlights. It seemed

like nobody settled in other than

Maria Lasitskene, who dominated on

the women's said. Everyone was a bit

bamboozled. I could not quite make

it out, the surface, orientation,

not sure, it could be all of the

above.

She has a demeanour, Maria

Lasitskene, like every day is an

Olympic final, she's unbelievably

focused. Let's have a look at the

earlier jumps from Morgan Lake,

Tony.

earlier jumps from Morgan Lake,

Tony.

What was going wrong for her in her

demeanour and approach?

I'm not sure

it's going wrong but these are early

heights, site is, as it were. She

just got it wrong and because she

has gone through, you can see the

white line on the floor, if you

break the plane of the bar, it is a

foul, if you can't stop before the

turn and job again. That really,

they had come out earlier, warmed

up, they should have felt the track.

There's a little thing about

60-metre tracks, they are laid in a

direction to suit the sprinters so

as she runs in, she runs in the same

direction as a sprinter and then she

has to run across the grain, really,

which is the difficult thing. Again,

she did not settle. There was an

opportunity yesterday. You seldom

stand on the opportunity of

greatness here. And the door opened,

the Ukrainian girl did not perform

well, there was an opportunity of a

medal, but Alessia Trost of Italy

stepped up and Morgan didn't, so

opportunity missed.

But fourth in

the world indoor Championships, the

best finish by a British athlete

ever in the high jump, there's lots

of positives to take from Morgan

Lake, she's only 20 and she has a

big future.

She cleared 1.93 which

was a season's best and she had a

shot at 1.90 six. The first two

attempts, the first was the best of

the three, and the third failure at

1.96, shall we have a talk about it?

She did to her jumping so what has

gone wrong?

She had settled by this

stage and found something of her

rhythm. This will be a new lifetime

best so she is at full stretch. OK,

it was not particularly close but a

season's best, I'm tempted to

concentrate more on the positives,

the work is done, she came forth and

she has got to take it on the chin

and learn from it and take it

forward. Go into the Commonwealth

Games, built on it, 96, she looked

capable of it but it was a big ask

in the circumstances. Technically, I

know her coach, files can't -- her

coach was frustrated because he felt

the surface was so quick and the

athletes only get 30 seconds here so

they feel a little bit rushed. I was

chatting with the jumpers last night

and they felt as though they were

rushed into jumping, the cones were

withdrawn they had the mirror image

of the men jumping from the other

side.

Steve Cram said about that as

well and the timing with the 3000 as

well, do you think it was not a good

idea to do it that way?

well, do you think it was not a good

idea to do it that way?

The great

thing is, as a sport, we are trying

different things and it was a new

approach, two high jump mats back to

back, it was unusual. The athletes

were a bit confused by it, shall we

say, possibly we won't see it again,

I don't know.

For Morgan herself and

we will talk about KJT in the

pentathlon in a moment, we knew her

originally as a heptathlete, the

high jump was always her strongest

discipline. It would seem now that

her full focus is going to be on the

high jump. Is it a good position?

I

genuinely think it should be,

heptathlon has moved on a lot. We

saw in the same high jump, the

Cuban, Rodriguez, she beat her at

the world Juniors in Oregon a few

years ago but now she has stepped

forwards and got 6500. She is having

great success in the high jump and

let's be honest, this configurations

and the rest of it, it worked for

the best jumpers. You have three

jumpers, one in the women, two in

the men, who are the outstanding,

better athlete than they were not

fazed by it and they won the medals

he would have expected. I don't

think there was anything wrong with

the Confederation in that. It

affected may be the lesser

experienced athletes aspire to

anything else. -- the configuration

in that. I think it worked fine.

Now

we are going to focus on the

pentathlon. And the challenge for

Katarina Johnson-Thompson. Great

Britain have won gold in this event

before in 2010 in Doha, just the two

names, Jessica Ennis.

I think Andy might be pleased with

that, Tony.

I think Andy might be pleased with

that, Tony.

In fact, I'm going to call her that

from now on.

Tell us about at that

time what I did for her and what it

did for her season. Did she enjoy

competing indoors?

This was kind of

coming off the back, she missed 2008

with three stress fractures in her

foot, she won the World

Championships in 2009 and is

maintained the momentum, winning

again, because winning habit and I

think really that is the same kind

of momentum that needs to start for

KJT here to, today, start the

momentum, winning is a habit in then

you feel you can step up and compete

every time.

She has missed out on

medals in the last three major

outdoor championships. She did take

gold in the 2015 European indoors,

narrowly missing out on a world

record, there as well and that is

the kind of expectation that comes

from when you win those medals,

people expect you to transfer that

to the outdoors. She knows that, she

knows the expectation and JJ

Chalmers spoke to her yesterday.

Birmingham is the home of indoor

athletics. It is a place that you

have been competing at since you

were 15 or something. Bregerie yeah,

yeah. --

yeah, yeah. I was talking

to my mum about it last week, under

15, under 17 AAA Championships, we

used to come under coach and stay

not too far away and walked to the

Stadium on one answer she remember

is the first time I competed here in

the high jump. I think I might have

been underage, or I was the bottom

age of the under 15 championships

and I came sixth unanswered I would

not speak to her the entire way

home! Then I came back the year

after and won, and the after that I

won the high jump and the long jump

so it has got fond memories of me

just being young and wanting to win

things and being competitive. I want

to try to bring that into the

competition. I feel like the

pentathlon is an event that I am

very secure in. It has got two jumps

and one throw so it is suited to my

abilities. Funnily enough in my

career, I've only ever done a couple

of pentathlon is. I've not done that

many. I did a lot when I was a

junior but in my senior career I've

only really done one which was in

Prague, two years ago, in 2015,

which went very well. I'm excited to

do another one.

You say in Prague

you did well, you did very well! It

is the second-best pentathlon that a

woman has performed, 5000 points,

how much confidence has that given

you since that time and particularly

coming into this?

It's given me huge

confidence to know that I have had

that big score under my belt and the

possibilities are quite big for me

doing the pentathlon but I have got

to calm everybody down and take it

slowly and take it one event at a

time. What I want to do now is start

collecting medals and winning

medals. That is my priority.

There's

a big expectation for you to just

come in and feel Jess's shoes?

I

have not felt pressure at any point,

especially now with me being in

France, I'm sort of away from

everything. London 2012 was not any

pressure for me at all. I was only

19. It was scary more than anything

but I was sort of oblivious to it

all.

Still only 19 years old and we

know what problems Jessica Ennis

once had with the javelin.

You are

back here at a home games, how much

does it bring your performance?

It

is just knowing that it does not

give me any pressure, it just gives

me extra support, the fact that they

call your name and you hear the

crowd, you realise all these people

want you to do well and they are

there to see you do well. It is not

pressure for me. It is just one of

those things where it is like, "OK,

here I am". I've only got a couple

more chances of home games now so

I'm going to make the most of it.

Looking at the field, naff DTM not

here but it is still, it is still an

impressive field you have to do

compete against.

I love her to let

and I love competing against her

hijab as well so it is a shame but

the deal is, they have got a lot of

different strengths in different

events that it is one of those

things, that I needed to concentrate

on my own events anyway. So it does

not change anything for me.

It's just enjoying the event and the

occasion.

And you just feel that one

day it's going to come together on

the global stage. This is a

phenomenally talented athlete and we

have agonised watching her

performances over the last few years

on the bigger stages where something

has not gone right. Denise Lewis,

welcome to this trio. It is a

movable feast going on here. It has

been frustrating at times,

heart-warming at times. You have

those moments and that high jump in

London was fantastic. Incredibly,

she is back for more and she gets

back up and thinks she will do it

this time. Do you believe those

lessons, learning the mental

strategy is coming good? Will she do

this?

I think it is coming good. I

think last year at the world

Championships there was there were

things that were disappointing. But

overall there was a feeling that her

ability to cope with disappointment

and bounceback was better and that

is essential if you're going to be a

really good heptathlete at this

level. I think we have reason to be

optimistic about these Championships

in particular. She has been jumping

really well indoors, 1.93 this year,

back to her best in the long jump,

6.71 at the trials, and that is her

field. She needs to rely on her

jumps so much, but generally the

maturity is kicking in and she is

more realistic and had to be more

patient. And she has had to pick

herself up on the environment she is

training in has a lot to do with

that. She's in a good.

She is into a

second year of the new setup. Last

year was the first time she was

competing on the back of her first

winter in France and that is working

well for her.

It's working well. It

takes a while for a new coach and

athlete to bond and have that

chemistry and understand not only

the physical part of the French and

English language, but what makes you

tick, and they are slowly working

that out and the trust that she has

with her coaches is really good. I

am expecting that this is another

year where we need to see her kick

on. There is an expectation amongst

the multi-event coaches and anyone

who watches athletics that it should

be her time now. We have watched

Nafi Thiam move ahead of her

phenomenally in the last couple of

years.

Rio was the moment where Nafi

Thiam broke through.

Very much so.

If you think back to Prague when she

did that in 2015 where she did the

phenomenal pentathlon, Nafi Thiam

was a hundred points behind her, and

look what she has done in that short

look what she has done in that short

space

was a hundred points behind her, and

look what she has done in that short

space of time.

This is the moment

you speak of where she was 13 points

from the world record and at this

point, expectation was rightly,

looking at this woman, phenomenal

athlete, the air to Jessica Ennis

Hill's throne. And she was put on a

header stall in terms of

expectations.

I think sometimes

athletes are put on a pedestal and

too much is expected of them too

early. I don't think this was the

situation in this case. Right here

this shows the potential she has.

Huge potential she displayed, 13

points off a world record. The

expectation has not been

unrealistic. I wonder, did knees --

Denise, lots of athletes will have

the problem of not changing their

potential from the physical

standpoint.

Her biggest problem is to be

mentally prepared to produce the big

performances when it counts. I

wonder if going to France and

working with coaches where the

horror these different challenges

with language and culture and

understanding -- where there are

different challenges. Maybe she

needs to go where she can mentally

be able to perform.

It's something

she has to learn. From her

perspective, she was not in a good

place, mentally, and for any

athlete, if you don't have that

balance, it's not a good place for

you whether the outside world thinks

you cannot see what is wrong, but

the her it was imperative to make

the change. She needed to grow and

take ownership of her performances

and have a bit more control over her

athletics and the direction it was

going in. I'm pleased with what I

have seen but now I think that self

belief has two come from her. The

coaching setup can give you so much,

but you have do feel it as an

athlete yourself.

Each relationship

you have with an athlete, by

definition, is unique. That

chemistry, each one will be

different.

I think so. It's all

about relationships. Everybody knows

you have to get on well and whether

somebody motivates or demotivate

you. Invariably the performance

comes from within. The coaches a

support mechanism that gives you

technical support and create an

environment, but the performance

belongs to you. We have not seen

that from Kat yet. It is still Kat.

You cannot run away from Kat. She is

still there. That is something she

has to overcome. We have not seen

the progress, indoors or outdoors,

really. If you look at her she is

about one tenth slower in the

60-metre hurdles. She has thrown 13

in the shops before when she was

with Mike Holmes -- the shot. She is

a hundred points back from where she

was but she's the only athlete

capable in this field of scoring

4800 points comfortably and that

gives a margin, the gap between her

and the opposition which makes her

nailed on favourite for the event.

Sorry to Butcher on the spot, and

you are a coach and you focused one

of the most focused athletes ever,

if you are coaching her, well, and

athlete who was having a problem

mentally producing, how would you

approach it? You talk about setting

up the environment, the training

environment and the pre-preparation,

and it affects the athletes

mentally, so what sort of

adjustments do you make?

That's an

incredibly interesting question. The

coach has to be a unit of a yang.

You have to flex your style to suit

the athlete. If you have an athlete

who is a great think all very

emotional, you have to be the

opposite to balance that and that is

the kind of thing. With Kat,

athletes -- athletics is a simple

event. No one is going to tackle UN

is not a huge amount of

decision-making. Just repeat

movement pattern and deliver -- no

one is going to tackle you. I would

focus on the process and then focus

on what is happening away from the

track. A sports psychologist. You

are not trying to turn a lamb into a

lion. You look at the strengths of

the individual and enhance them and

find out where the gaps are, and as

a coach, you fill the gaps for them

and that brings you an all-round

athlete.

Let's remind ourselves of

what we are talking about in terms

of those moments within her two-day

event where things have not clicked.

Going back to Beijing and the long

jump here.

We know what she is

capable of in the long jump, we

really do. But if we see where Kat

tends to have trouble, it is the no

jump.

It was the finest of margins.

It was the difference between her

getting a medal and her subsequent

disappointment. The two events she

relies on most are the high jump and

long jump. This, for me, was the

most shocking. She can hide jump

1.95 in her sleep, mostly. Lack of

focus, lack of controlling the

emotional environment and the

emotional state resulted in two very

costly medals for that athlete.

If you look at the long jump, they

haven't cured that issue and they

might have exacerbated it with a

rolling start. It's about accuracy

and rhythm. They have come to a

shorter approach and a rolling

start, which can give you error on

the board and she is an athlete that

tends to lengthen and that is what

happened in Beijing. If you watch

the three jumps, she lengthens

indifferent places. The high jump,

should be the banker. She lost the

rhythm in London there. And a week

later she jumps 1.95 like it's so

easy.

It is trial and error. When

you are going to an environment

where you come with your own

philosophy and principle about how

you approach an event, they will not

have studied Kat prior to taking her

on board. So they are tweaking

things that they think, we know this

athlete is someone you need to

utilise her speed before she gets

down to the board and get the legs

engaged.

Speed is the asset. You are

presented with somebody who is a

podium level athlete and you can

tinker and experiment, but you

should get down and do your homework

and work out what makes a

difference. Success has many

fathers, failure is an orphan. As a

coach, the athlete loses on the

track and it's very personal as a

coach. It's very personal and a very

lonely place when you lose, so you

have to be as support mechanism.

When I moved to Holland initially, I

was an Olympic bronze-medallist.

I

was silver world medallist and I had

to strip things back to build again.

It was maybe two or three years

before I was making personal best

overall in the heptathlon because I

had a lot to learn. She has been an

emotionally immature athlete and

they are trying to bolster that to

understand what is required from her

to go on and become the champion we

believe she can be.

Can I ask

briefly, we've talked a lot in the

past about whether the focus should

be, do you work on the weaknesses

and get some points there, or do you

exacerbate the strengths question

it is spinning plates.

You have to

keep the plates spinning. You have

to keep your strength is strong and

push on the weakness.

I hear what

you are both saying. When you talk

about the athlete being emotional,

and we know that's an issue for her,

simplify it. I would absolutely

simplify where possible and try to

minimise the margin of error and try

to minimise the opportunity for

mistakes. Once you can get that

accomplished, the athlete is able to

produce at a decent level with

minimised mistakes, then start to

add on and try to improve and reach

the full potential.

I should say the

light show is because we are about

to start the live action. We are

starting with the men's heptathlon

60-metre heats and the men have for

events today,, sorry, three events

today, for events tomorrow. Actually

I was right the first time. Then the

women get it all done today. There

will be lots of multi-events for you

on the track and in the field today.

And Damian Warner there, who of

course, is always somebody pushing

towards the top of the rostrum. The

new World order was seen in London

with the men. Do you expect him to

be dominant?

It's an interesting

one. Damian Warner is one of the

major athletes to put Kevin under

pressure. He is did not finish on a

lot of things in the pentathlon, so

he can be a little bit loose. But in

London he had norovirus Amat took

about -- and that took around 200

points off him and he should have

got a medal in London if he had not

been ill. I think we are looking at

a two horse race. The Americans have

won in this and we've only heard the

American national anthem the last

five times. The American athlete,

very quick athlete. Whether they can

put Kevin under pressure, and if he

lets them in, but he is 300 points

better than the opposition, so you

have do pressure him.

Let's head out

and say good morning to our

commentary team led by Steve Cram. I

am impressed so many people have

made it for the morning session

through the snow already.

They are a hearty bunch in and

around Birmingham. Conditions not as

bad as yesterday evening and we are

expecting big crowds later this

evening and hopefully most people

can make it as the conditions do

seem to improve a little. A lot of

snow expected in Birmingham later

today. The first of the two races,

we have seen Damian Warner,

Kazmirek, Felix, Don Ozil and Gado.

Damian Warner, the Commonwealth

Games, just over a month away.

Kazmirek who might have a good

opportunity of picking up a medal,

for that the Olympics, third in the

worlds and Felix very experienced

competitor.

At his best dummy you would expect

Warner to be the quickest, here. --

at his best, you would expect. A

little twitch from Warner in the

blocks but he gets away nice and

strong, dollars are going well on

the near side, Warner, 6.75, that is

very quick. If that is confirmed, it

equalled his best ever. He's only

done a 60 hurdles and a long jump

this year, he's not done full

heptathlon. He certainly has not

done flat-out 60 metres and that

will give him huge encouragement,

Damian Warner with a cracking start,

Colin. I thought he twitched a bit

just before the gun. But after that

he was superb.

He was brilliant,

Steve, yes, his back leg slightly

quivered before the gun went, but

made no real difference, out of the

blocks strong and powerful and look

at that, driving towards the line. I

think it must be quite difficult for

the heptathlon in this circumstance

because remember, they are competing

against themselves, they need to

gather as many points as possible.

This is their one and only

opportunity to get going. I can

imagine when he crossed the line and

he saw the winning time, Steve,

which actually has been rounded down

by another 100th of a second so

6.74, he must be very excited. --

excited indeed at his prospects.

Warner with a personal best and the

rest of the times will be confirmed

but a great start.

I'm delighted to say we have another

guest in the studio! Toni

Minichiello has been replaced by

Greg Rutherford, good morning.

Thank

you for having me.

We would like to

see you

you for having me.

We would like to

see you out there doing your thing

but he made the decision after

Glasgow that you were not quite

where you wanted to be?

Exactly, I wanted use the two

conditions, the nationals, to see

what condition my body is in and

it's not where I need it to be, for

me, I said last week, I need to be

jumping and doing well and winning

medals. I'm not about making up the

numbers. I'm not quite ready.

When

did you come to that decision?

As

soon as the com petition finished

last week, probably. It was not what

I wanted. I wanted to go over eight

metres and I knew if I was in

eight-metre shape I would have a

Child and I was not quite there. It

meant I could get out and get ready

for the summer. -- I would have a

chance.

Still heavy strapping on

your ankle, only a few weeks if you

have been training properly.

It's

been about a month now in spikes and

training and doing what I need to do

and I can see from watching that,

I'm a bit slow at the moment and for

me, I am a speed -based jumper so if

I don't have the runway

me, I am a speed -based jumper so if

I don't have the runway speed, I

will not be jumping the kind of

distances I need to be doing to mix

it up for the medals. That is a case

now of going back to training,

working hard, getting some speed

back in my legs and hopefully the

distances we are seeing on the cusp

of eight metres now will be on the

-- in the eight-metre 30s and above.

Added new plan? You have to go on a

week by week basis, especially the

Commonwealth Games coming up which

you have decided not to go to, is

all the focus of Europeans? Cridge

macro for me, I did not realise I

would have do have the surgery and

how severe the ankle issue was after

I had the groin reconstructed, we

found my ankle was not healing.

From

that point of view, I could plan

properly. It was all about the

Commonwealth Games originally and

then I knew without the training

that I have had, I need to make sure

I'm doing something so I have two

pull out of that and then the world

indoors suddenly becomes a chance

and then it is one of those things

that I'm still not quite ready, I

have two plan for the summer in that

way.

I

have two plan for the summer in that

way.

I think it is sensible and it

could be a blessing in disguise. The

last thing you want at this stage it

in jewels of again. Giving yourself

more preparation...

Completely, this

is the world indoor Championships,

this is not the Europeans or

something that is easier, if you

like. I can't go out there and say I

have a chance of winning against the

best in the world from a month's

training, it's not right for myself

and a bit embarrassing and a bit of

an anti-climax for going out and

performing badly which could happen

and I don't want to go out that way.

Do you understand that in terms of

not wanting to go out when you been

Olympic and world champion, you

don't want to make up the numbers,

you expect to be on the rostrum?

You

have a level of expectation of

yourself as well in terms of

competition and what you are

expecting of yourself but also, you

know your competitors are used to

seeing you out there at a certain

level and you don't want to have

that little chink in the armour,

right, where they start to think, "I

just beat Greg Rutherford", some

young kid, you don't want it to

happen.

Exactly, and I've been quite

fortunate since 2012 when things

changed form is likely that there is

an that were like a big, people

expect me to be jumping well and

wishing to enter you are right, I

don't want to be beaten by some

young upstart coming through because

I'm not fit and then they get it in

their head that I am beatable. I

want to go out there with what I've

had in last few years which is the

ability to win.

What do you see in

terms of the remainder of your

career? What is the objective for

you now? You now? You have won

everything so what do you want to

win again? What is left?

First off,

this summer, there's never been a

long jumper that has won three

European Championships back-to-back

and we are fortunate in Europe and

in Britain that we have the

Commonwealth Games, we have a major

every year so if I could do that,

I'm in a situation where I have made

a bit of history if you like in that

way, something I am keen to try to

do. And then I think I'm going to

reassess. I am taking it summer by

summer rather than saying, I want to

win in 2020, for me, it is about

taking each year as it comes. I'm

about winning. I've always said that

and I've never been shy about saying

that, I go into competition to try

to win and I will assess each year,

seeing where I am as long as I have

the ability to win, I will keep

going.

We were just stop you right

there because we do the next heat of

the heptathlon, the men's 60 metres.

This one of course involves Kevin

Mayer, the world champion from

London. Good morning to Andrew

Cotter. COMMENTATOR: Good morning,

there is Lindon Victor, twice US

collegiate champion, the half

brother of Kurt Felix we went in the

first heat, Elko Saint Nicholas, the

Dutch champion, competing in 2000

and 2013. Alexi Kasyanova of the

first athlete out from the Ukraine.

Dominik Distelberger, the Austrian

chap in indoors over 60 metres

hurdles and the pole vault

individual events. Zachary Simak,

the US representative here. He

should be the quickest in this heat.

-- Zachary Simak. A personal best of

6.75, Warner quicker than that but

this is the man who start as the

favourite, the world champion, won

the last indoor title as well in

Europe, the new star of this event,

or multi-eventing in men's terms

after Ashton Eaton retired.

Interesting, looking at the time for

Damian Warner in the first heat,

6.70 four.

The reason he was not in the second

heat bills because he did not have a

season's best but there is the

result of the first heat, Damian

Warner a long way clear. He might

have done a bit better if he were

able to run in the second heat, with

a bit more competition but a great

run from him nonetheless. That 6.74,

quicker than anyone in this second

heat has managed. This is the start

list for the second heat.

Mayer may finish last in this heat

gun he is the slowness on paper but

strongest -- slowest on paper but

stronger events to come.

Kasyanova, again, we have to explain

that did not eventing, it is

slightly different, if this were an

individual event in the 60 metres,

Kasyanova would be gone but you get

a bit of grace, a bit of leeway in

multi-eventing. So he will not be

discovered five, Kasyanov, despite

the fairly obvious. . Now everyone

is on borrowed time, very clear,

Colin? -- he will not be

disqualified.

A bit of nerves, a

major championships, you have this

one shot at getting your start, of

your whole condition, going well. He

can shake it off and gather his

thoughts again and prepare to go

into the box and get ready.

A very

experienced athlete, Kasyanov,

silver at the world indoors in 2012

and 2016, both times behind Ashton

Eaton. I wonder if sometimes you

know you have that one. Allowed that

you might try and push a little bit

more, but anyway, nobody is allowed

one now. So Kasyanov in lane two,

Lindon Victor, ill go sit Nicholas,

Distelberger of Austria, Ziemak of

the United States and Mayer of

France, the world champion, in lane

seven. Again, he is not the quickest

sprinter but stronger events to

come, long jump, shot put, high jump

today and then 60 metres hurdles,

pole vault and 1000 metres tomorrow

in the men's heptathlon.

Clean away this time, good start by

eager sit Nicholas, and Kevin Mayer

running well, well, we thought he

would be down the field but 6.86,

that is a big personal best. If you

thought he might have to come from

behind in events that will follow

this one, not so, he has run 6.86

which might be rounded down as well

as it was for Damian Warner in

averted but what a run for Kevin

Mayer, 6.80 five. If he was the

favourite before this event, he is a

stronger favourites now, what a run.

Very strong indeed. What a way to

start. Not just here. You think

about your whole season in front of

you, you must be very excited about

the potential. Obviously, he's

wintered very well indeed, on the

outside, watch him, did not react so

well but look at the first couple of

strides, even though he is long and

rangy, there's lots of power so he

gets into the upright running, very

good knee lift, pumping his arms

well, going all the way towards the

line. I bet he was probably thinking

to himself, "I've done a couple of

good runs in training, I wonder if I

can do it in competition?" He's

nailed it.

Interesting watching the

multi-event is compared to

individual sprinters, they seem to

have a longer stride, not that

pitter patter, quick cadence of the

dedicated sprinters.

Because they

are relatively heavy and they have

to be prepared for so many different

events. This is an excellent start

by him for me. I'm thinking to

myself, I wonder what he thinks his

overall score could possibly be

today? Another personal best?

Four

Reds today, the long jump, shot put

and I dubbed to come and you can see

what it means to Mayer, he came in

with a season's best of 6.99 and a

personal best of 6.95 and he's taken

a tenth of a second off it. Mayer

has strong events to come as well so

what a start. Damian Warner the

quickest overall, 6.74 in the first

heat but that is a wonderful run by

the French athlete and a strong

favourite for the men's heptathlon.

We will talk about Kevin Mayer's

performance and what it did me do

his overall score in a moment but we

have some news to bring you and

Steve Cram is the person who should

bring us this news because you may

remember last night if you are

watching, we showed you a caption of

who our pundits, experts and

commentators all felt where people

to watch throughout the

championships and Steve

championships and Steve chose

somebody and there's which may

affect your pick.

I'm having a

somebody and there's which may

affect your pick.

I'm having a bad

week. Emanuel Greer is setting the

middle distance world alight at the

moment, we've been looking for the

next David Rudisha and a lot of

people think it could be but sadly

when he went to

people think it could be but sadly

when he went to New York for a few

days, his grandfather had passed

away, I think, and he whipped up

there to meet with the family and

then fly over here. The IT system

went down which was trying to sort

out his leader and he could not get

out. They were trying to get in here

until late last night forced -- out

his Visa. He can't get to Birmingham

because he stranded in New York and

can't compete. Disappointing for me

because I'd been to begin to develop

he's the fastest in the world this

year and he will be a great name but

good news for Elliott Giles in the

800 metres, who was in Emanuel's

heat, only 11 entries, and now

there's only ten in the 800 metres

and a gold medal favourite is not

here.

Have you had a chance to think

about your next big?

No, let me sit

down and squeeze my head a bit to

come up with someone else, I'm so

disappointed, can't get over it.

You

are only back from Pyeongchang for a

couple of days, if it was anyone

else I would put you on the spot now

but I will give you 20 minutes

grace. Then I will ask for another

big. At that ever happened to you?

Not the Visa situation but have any

of you ever been sober when you

really needed to be somewhere else?

I was going to Tokyo for an indoor

meet once and they had the worst

snowstorm ever. I arrived at Tokyo

airport and needed to take a train,

there were no trains, no cars, I had

to get in a car and it took me about

six hours to get into town and

literally got there, about two hours

before my meat and before the race.

But it worked out in the end.

You

won?

I did!

LAUGHTER

Any travel disasters?

No

recollection of travel disaster,

even though I'm usually running to

the flight invariably.

I can vouch

for that! It must really unsettle

you, though, with those kind of