Katarina Johnson-Thompson, Molly Caudery, Jazmin Sawyers and Jeremiah Azu were in action at the traditional pipe opener to the British domestic season.

Molly Caudery opened her summer campaign with a smooth-looking 4.61m pole vault clearance off a short run-up at the Loughborough International on Sunday (May 17).

It was a day when plenty of established athletes got into their stride ahead of a busy 2026 season but was also an opportunity for younger up-and-coming athletes to make their mark.

Caudery was employing an eight-stride approach in this competition and beat Holly Bradshaw's stadium record. She said: "I'm learning so much the whole time. Every experience and every jumps session, I'm evolving and it's great fun."

On the short run-up, she said: "The bar looks so much higher because you're stood so close to it. But I always focus on the jump and not so much the run-up. We wanted to try something new today and give myself a bit of a challenge."

 

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Caudery's fiance, Joel Clarke-Khan, continued the good form he showed in the indoor season with a 2.21m men's high jump win.

Heptathlon star Katarina Johnson-Thompson took the chance to focus on the shot put and threw 12.97m in sixth place as Adele Nicoll won with 17.50m.

Just ahead of Johnson-Thompson was Niamh Emerson, the 2018 world under-20 heptathlon champion who has been battling injuries in recent years. Emerson threw 13.95m and also clocked an encouraging 13.90 in the 100m hurdles.

Elsewhere, Jazmin Sawyers long jumped 6.46m, Jeremiah Azu won the men's 100m in 10.15 (1.6) and Nick Percy took the men's discus with 60.09m.

In the men's pole vault, Harry Coppell, the UK record-holder, made a pleasing return to competition after a long lay-off with a 5.35m win.

Also impressing was Charlotte Henrich with a 51.48 women's 400m win in blustery conditions, while Daniel Goriola won the men's 110m hurdles in 13.65 (1.3).

Young athletes who shone included Shaikira King, who won the women's 800m in 2:03.65, while Freddie Rowe, 17, continued his fine recent form by winning the Gandy Mile in 4:04.10 as he outsprinted Ted Higgins.

Later that day the track saw the British 10,000m Championships with races won by Izzy Fry and Kadar Omar – full coverage of those events here.