At 33 years young, Jenny Meadows seems to be defying her aging muscles and performing better than ever, especially over 800m indoors. Fresh from a recent sub- two minutes clocking on the boards, a mark that generally signals world class ability, she claimed her seventh British indoor title over her preferred distance at the weekend, to clearly signal her intentions at the forthcoming European Championships in Prague. Her British international teammate, Katarina Johnson-Thompson was also in terrific form in Sheffield, taking the British high jump record in claiming her title.
Her performance also helped to inspire fellow heptathlon athlete, Morgan Lake to set a new British indoor junior record in the same event.
Meadows seems to have become embroiled in the ongoing discussions about the legitimacy of the performances being achieved by the Russian athletes in recent weeks and months, but it doesn't seem to be causing any distraction at present when she gets out on the track. In truth, she was always the class of the field at the home of the English Institute of Sport on Sunday, recording a slightly modest 2:01.43 to take her anticipated victory. Her time was still the fourth fastest of 2015 and she remains the only female athlete under two minutes this year so far.
Her one major title was achieved at the European Indoors in 2011, but even then she had to suffer frustration before eventually being confirmed as the winner 15 months after her final had been run. The original woman to be first past the post had been the Russian Yevgeniya Zinurova, but she was subsequently disqualified for having abnormalities in her blood passport.
That incident and several others over her long career obviously rankle with the Wigan athlete, as she believes that doping may have cost her a clutch of major medals and the financial rewards that accompany those achievements in the sport of Athletics. For now she is focussing on Prague and hoping to take the title on her own merits.
Johnson-Thompson seems to be shaping up nicely for the summer heptathlon challenges to come, along with the returning Jess Ennis (after taking a maternity break) and the 17-year-old Lake, the reigning World Junior Champion at both the heptathlon and high jump. With last season's injury troubles looking to be behind her, she cleared a height of 1.97m on Saturday and attempted 2m but was unsuccessful. In second place was Lake who was also in great form, setting her new best figures of 1.94m. Both ladies secured a place on the GB squad for March's Euro Indoors as a consequence.
There were fine performances in the short sprints at the meeting, with Chijindu Ujah's men's 60m victory in a rapid 6.57 seconds, demonstrating that the sub- 10 second athlete over 100m from last season is clearly rounding into good shape this year as well.
Dina Asher-Smith took the women's equivalent title with a fine 7.15 seconds timing.
Although Meadows' victory may have been the most popular with the crowd on Sunday, she shared top billing performance-wise with women's long jump winner Abigail Irozuro, who recorded a massive personal best of 6.73m to claim the title. She moved up to third on the all-time British indoor list for the event as a result, and put herself firmly in with a medal chance at the Euros.
Other notable performances over the weekend included Nigel Levine clinching his record fifth successive British 400m title with 46.86 seconds and Allan Smith taking the men's high jump title with a personal best of 2.29m.