Athletics
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STRATFORD AC teenager Andy Pozzi powered to his first national senior title in the Aviva Indoor UK Trials and Championships at the English Institute of Sport in Sheffield on Sunday.

The talented 19-year-old continued his impressive form in Olympic year by winning the men’s 60m hurdles in fine style and booking his place in the IAAF World Indoor Championships in Istanbul from March 9-11.

Pozzi bagged another World Indoor qualifying standard on his way to the final by winning his heat in 7.64.

Lawrence Clarke, his biggest rival, was disqualified for a false start in the final and Pozzi took full advantage by equalling his personal best and easing to victory in 7.62.

A delighted Pozzi said:“I was really pleased with that. It was a clean run, I didn’t seem to hit any hurdles too hard and I’ve equalled my PB. It felt like it was a really good race.

“I’m now going to go to Istanbul for my first Indoor World Championships and am really looking forward to that. It should be a good experience and hopefully I can do well over there.”

The previous weekend, Pozzi had also been in sparkling form at the 21st Birmingham Games which took place at the National Indoor Arena.

Mark Lewis Francis, Harry Aikenes-Aryeetey and Christine Ohurougu were among the big names making an appearance and looking for early signs of form in an important year.

But Pozzi proved the star of the show on the Sunday by winning the senior men’s 60m hurdles in a personal best 7.62 which was the 6th best ever time by a UK athlete and the No 1 ranking in the world for 2012.

Pozzi had also competed for Birmingham Falcons in the McCain City Challenge the previous day, enjoying success in a personal best 7.70.

Pozzi won the final by a comfortable margin of 0.27 seconds, asserting control over the race as early as the second hurdle and powering to an easy victory.

Pozzi is steadily becoming the man to watch in the sprint hurdles both indoors and outdoors, as he continues to gain in stature and belief and he will travel to Istanbul next month in confident mood.