NEXT weekend’s Olympic trials will see the cream of British track and field gather in Birmingham to stake a claim for a place on the plane to Rio. Well, most of them. Of the three who won gold in London four years ago on the so-called Super Saturday, neither Mo Farah nor Jessica Ennis-Hill will be in action.

Farah has been pre-selected to try to retain his titles at 5000m and 10,000m, while Ennis-Hill has been given a similar pass for the heptathlon. She will be joined in her chosen event in Rio by Katharina Johnson-Thompson who achieved the qualifying standard last month. To be selected all others need a top-two finish at the trials as well as two qualifying times by the July 12 deadline, the day before the team for Rio is announced.

Of the gold-laden heroes of 2012, then, only Greg Rutherford will compete next week. The long jumper lost a winning streak that stretched back to last July when he finished fifth at the Birmingham Diamond League event this month. At the same venue next weekend he is expected to put matters right and book his place on the plane to Rio. So confident is Rutherford of qualifying that he has chosen to freeze his sperm in advance because of concerns over the Zika virus. His girlfriend has already decided not to travel to Brazil to eliminate the chance of picking up the infection that affects pregnant woman.

There should be other London medallists on show in Birmingham, too. Christine Ohuruogu but her pedigree – gold in 2008, silver in 2012 – suggests she could again be among the medallists in Rio should she qualify. Robbie Grabarz, a bronze winner four years ago in the high jump as Britain completed a haul of six medals from track and field, will also be in action in Birmingham.

Other emerging talents will be looking to stake a claim. Dina Asher-Smith, the exciting young sprinter, will go in the 200m, fresh from her victory in the Stockholm Diamond League meet, her first outing at the distance since last summer’s world championships.

“I would have liked to have executed it a bit better down the home straight but in these conditions for the first outing of the year, I can’t complain,” she said. “I’m going to talk to my coach. We’re keeping our options open but obviously I’d like to make the Olympic team. We’ve got the trials next week in Birmingham and this is my last race before then.”

Martyn Rooney will also compete, relieved in the knowledge that he will also be permitted to try to retain his 400m European title in Amsterdam next month should he qualify, after British Athletics performed a U-turn on their policy not to have prospective Olympians taking part. “With a European Championships and Olympic Games so close together you have to take a sensible approach to selection and look at what is best for each athlete as an individual,” said Neil Black, their performance director. “We believe for some athletes, as with Martyn, running in Amsterdam will benefit their performance in Rio, whilst for others this competition was never part of the season plan.”“With a European Championships and Olympic Games so close together you have to take a sensible approach to selection and look at what is best for each athlete as an individual,” said Neil Black, their performance director. “We believe for some athletes, like Martyn, running in Amsterdam will benefit their performance in Rio, whilst for others this competition was never part of the season plan.”