31st January 2013 09:15
With the European Athletics Indoor Championships in Göteborg starting in a month's time, one British athlete is ready to use her domestic trials to show that she means business.
A new breed of youngsters is fast-progressing in the UK and one of those is 21-year-old Holly Bleasdale.
The pole vaulter from Preston had an outstanding time in 2012, which showed great signs for the future and she will be among the favourites to make the podium in Sweden.
Bleasdale finished second last year on European Athletics' indoor rankings with 4.87m, the British record, behind Russian Yelena Isinbayeva with 5.01m and then outdoors, she had a season's best of 4.71m for fourth behind Germany's Silke Spiegelburg with 4.82m.
She won bronze at the World Indoor Championships and in the next month will look to extend her heights from her first competition of the indoor season, which saw her clear 4.60m in Glasgow last weekend.
Bleasdale will compete at the British Athletics European Indoor Trials & UK Championships in Sheffield next weekend when all eyes will on the team for Göteborg.
'2013 is a big year for me so it's important that I am consistent and perform well in all my competitions,' said Bleasdale, who was sixth at the Olympic Games in London. 'I always enjoy coming to Sheffield to compete in the trials, and I am really looking forward to the opportunity of making it three wins in a row.
'Hopefully I can produce a good performance and confirm my place for the European Indoors in March.
'Clearing 4.60m...was a good start to the season but I know I can go much higher so hopefully I will be able to do that in Sheffield.'
Athletes in the first two with the qualifying mark earn automatic selection in the British team for Göteborg.