UK Indoor Championships: Jeremiah Azu wins gold on ‘dream’ day for Dwain Chambers

Jeremiah Azu won 60m gold in the UK Indoor Championships in Birmingham to claim his first indoor title.

The 22-year-old clocked 6.60 seconds in the final to qualify for March’s World Indoor Championships in Glasgow.

Molly Caudery jumped a personal best, a championship record and world lead height of 4.85m to win pole vault gold.

Dwain Chambers, who won 60m gold in 2010, came last in the semi-final – but the 45-year-old was thrilled to compete against sprinters half his age.

“Today’s been a dream come true – the applause from the audience has been awesome,” Chambers told BBC Sport.

“The reception from the athletes downstairs has been even better. It just feels great to still be in a position to do this at the age of 45.”

Chambers was banned for doping in 2004, which saw him miss the Athens Olympics, and UK Athletics interim head coach Paula Dunn has not ruled out using Chambers as an adviser to his squad.

“I want to be able to contribute in any way I can and I would never turn down the opportunity. It is a case of a conversation that needs to be had as and when the time permits,” added Chambers.

“It is nobody else’s responsibility but mine. Yes I was young, but at the same time, I had a decision or choice to make and I chose to look at what other people were doing, and spend very little time looking at what I could improve.

“As a result of that, I chose to follow the crowd and it was costly to me. With the way things are with other people, doubting themselves, I chose to use what I’ve gone through as an example of review yourself first and then make a decision.”

Caudery’s vault of 4.85m – the best in the world this season – would have been good enough to secure silver at the Tokyo Games.

She said: “To know that kind of height could get me a medal at the Olympics blows my mind.

“It is so exciting for the future and what it could bring.”

Amy Hunt won the women’s 60m gold with a time of 7.26secs – although she was not entirely happy with her performance.

“I had a questionable start – not to be negative, but it was trash,” she said.

“I had to trust myself and know I had the legs to come through that last 30 metres.

“The jigsaw pieces are there, I just have to put them together and make the picture.”

The first gold of the championships – which double as trials for next month’s World Indoors in Glasgow – went to Owen Heard, who cleared 5.25m to take the men’s pole vault title.

Elsewhere Tade Ojora, British 110m hurdles champion for the last three years, claimed his first indoor title by clocking a time of 7.62 to win the men’s 60m hurdles.

Cindy Sember won her third British 60m hurdles title in a time of 7.99.

Archie Yeo jumped an indoor personal best of 15.55m to win gold in the men’s triple jump, while Jade O’Dowda also jumped a personal best of 6.19m to claim the women’s long jump.

In the 60m para, Kevin Santos ran a personal best of seven seconds to win the men’s gold, while Wales‘ Olivia Breen beat Madeline Down to the women’s title by just 0.02secs in a time of 8.24.