With the indoor season reaching its climax at the World Championships this weekend in Belgrade, attention turns to what will be an amazing summer of outdoor athletics with an unprecedented three major championships taking place.

The Müller UK Athletics Championships Manchester, from 24 to 26 June will see the very best British athletes battling for both a national title and a seat on the plane to the World Athletics Championships in Oregon in July.

Tickets for the outdoor season go on priority sale this week so we’re looking back at some of the magic moments from last year’s Manchester championships which also acted as the Olympic trials.

Starting with the women:

Ahead of what was to become an unforgettable Olympic Games for Keely Hodgkinson (club: Leigh, coach: Trevor Painter) and Holly Bradshaw (Blackburn, Scott Simpson), the two began their summer campaign in Manchester in June securing the titles in the 800m and pole vault respectively.

Hodgkinson, then just 19, really delivered on the day in the 800m booking her place in the British team for Tokyo. In an incredibly strong final, she finished in an impressive 1:59.61 ahead of both Jemma Reekie (Kilbarchan, Andy Young) and Laura Muir (Dundee Hawkhill, Andy Young). Her fantastic finish with a closing lap covered in 57.85 to overtake the pre-championship favourites was a sign of things to come as she went on to take the Olympic silver medal in Tokyo; the highlight of a sensational season for the youngster.

To the joy of the home supporters in Manchester, Holly Bradshaw not only booked her ticket to Tokyo, she also broke her own British record in the pole vault sailing over 4.90m to become British Champion for an incredible ninth time. In the Olympic Games she finally got on the podium taking the bronze medal with a jump of 4.85m following sixth, fifth and fourth places at previous major champs.

Molly Caudery (Thames Valley, Stuart Caudery), set a season’s best of 4.45m to take the silver in Manchester and later in the summer was runner-up at the European U23 Championships in Tallinn. Sophie Cook (Halesowen, Scott Simpson) was third with 4.25m.
Last summer’s women’s long jump saw a stellar field vying for the top two places to ensure a seat on the plane to Tokyo. In an exciting competition, defending champion Jazmin Sawyers (City of Stoke, Lance Brauman), who had taken control of the event with a fifth-round leap of 6.73m, stretched her lead further with her final jump of 6.75m to retain the title.

As with 2020, Abigail Irozuru (Sale, Aston Moore) took silver with a season’s best of 6.69m in the fifth round. The top two made sure of their Olympic spots. Lorraine Ugen (Thames Valley, Dwight Phillips) took bronze with 6.60m.

The women’s sprints lived up to the pre-event billing with all being very competitive. Jodie Williams (Herts Phoenix, Ryan Freckleton) completed a superb double coming out on top in both the 200m and 400m. In her first season at the one-lap event she secured the British title and guaranteed Tokyo qualification in 51.01, just one-hundredth of a second outside her PB. It was the start of a spectacular summer for the 2010 World Junior champion as she went on to finish sixth in the Olympic 400m final in a lifetime best of 49.97.

In Manchester it was Nicole Yeargin (USC) who held on to the second qualification spot finishing in 51.26, just ahead of Ama Pipi (Enfield, Marco Airale) who took the bronze in 51.33.

In the 100m, favourite and World 200m champion, Dina Asher-Smith (Blackheath & Bromley, John Blackie) clocked 10.97 (1.2) to seal the victory and her place in Tokyo. Earlier the same day she had broken the stadium record with a 10.91 in the semi-finals. 2017 European indoor champion Asha Philip (Newham, Steve Fudge) was second in a season’s best 11.16 to confirm her Olympic spot, while Daryll Neita (Cambridge Harriers, Marco Airale) kicked started her brilliant season with third place in 11.21.

Last year’s championships included two women’s para athletics races with a 400m wheelchair race and a mixed 100m. In an extremely close one-lap race, Hannah Cockroft (Leeds, Jenni Banks) just pipped Sammi Kinghorn (Red Star, Rodger Harkins) with the world record-holder clocking 56.43 to Kinghorn’s 56.60.

Sophie Hahn (Charnwood, Leon Baptiste) continued her Paralympic preparations with a dominant win in the women’s 100m mixed class event, clocking 12.77 (-2.1) setting her up well for her T38 gold medal performance at the Paralympic Games in August.

You can be there this June for what will be a scintillating weekend of action in the Manchester Regional Arena. The stadium will be at full capacity so the atmosphere will be electric with so much at stake.

Tickets go on priority sale from Wednesday 16 March with general sale starting on Friday 18 March so be sure to register here to be first in line.