As one London hopeful, with a hint of sarcasm, remarked recently: "The Olympics are run outdoors." Yet performances at this weekend's Aviva Indoor Championships in Sheffield will be scrutinised for what might they might foretell.
Jessica Ennis is among those who will use the two-day meeting in her home town to test out her winter's work. While many of her domestic peers are cosseting themselves for the summer, the 26-year-old is intent on defending her pentathlon title at next month's world indoor championships in Istanbul.
