With the outdoor athletics season firmly underway, less than two weeks until the Novuna UK Athletics Championships arrive at Alexander Stadium in Birmingham (20–21 June

).The Championships mark the first of two major track and field events to be hosted at Alexander Stadium this year, with Birmingham also set to welcome Europe’s best for the European Athletics Championships from 10–16 August.

anticipation is building as athletes chase selection for the Novuna GB & NI team ahead of the European Championships later this summer with athletes required to secure gold while also achieving the European qualifying standard outlined in the team selection policy.

Competing on home soil is always special — but for Coventry-born athlete Jake Minshull, who trains at the University of Birmingham, the occasion carries even more significance.

Minshull has enjoyed a strong start to 2026, clocking a 400m personal best of 46.1 seconds in Glasgow Emirates Arena Indoor Meet, notably defeating 2024 European Champion Alexander Doom. His form earned him his first senior Novuna GB & NI vest, making his debut at the World Athletics Relays in Gaborone, Botswana, where he helped the 4x400m mixed relay team secure a bronze medal. That performance booked Great Britain & Northern Ireland places at both the Ultimate Championships in September and the World Championships in Beijing next year.

Continuing his international progression, Minshull has also broadened his range, recording 48.87 in the 400m hurdles in Brussels; the second-fastest time by a British athlete this season to date

“I’m really looking forward to competing on home soil at the UK Championships,” said Minshull.
“It’s been a strong start to the season and I’m pleased with how things have been progressing, but the focus is still very much on continuing to build and improve.

“Racing in front of a home crowd always gives you that extra bit of motivation, and I’m excited for the opportunity to put together a strong performance in Birmingham and make up for the disappointment of missing out on gold last year. I’ll be giving everything I’ve got to put myself in the best position possible and hopefully come away with the result I’m chasing.”

Also looking forward to competing on home turf is West Midlands-born Paralympic star Kare Adenegan, who will line up in the wheelchair racing events.

Adenegan boasts an outstanding career in T34 wheelchair racing, with seven Paralympic medals, 12 World Championship medals and two European medals to her name. Most recently, she secured three silver medals at the 2025 Para Athletics World Championships in the T34 100m, 400m and 800m.

She returns to Alexander Stadium as defending champion, having claimed the UK Championships T34 800m title last year.

“I’m really looking forward to returning to Birmingham for the British Championships,” said Adenegan.

“It’s an incredible opportunity to showcase para sport and to race in front of a home crowd, something that’s especially meaningful as someone from the Midlands.”

With world-class performances expected and national pride on the line, the Novuna UK Athletics Championships promises to be a must-watch event as Britain’s best athletes compete to be named the best in Britian and for their place on the international stage.

Other Midlands-based athletes and Novuna UK Athletics Indoor Championship winners confirmed include Issy Boffey, Joel Clarke-Khan, and Molly Palmer, who placed 10th at the World Indoor Championships earlier this year in Poland.

Also confirmed are sprinting superstars Dina Asher-Smith, the British record holder over 100m and 200m, and Amy Hunt, the 2025 World Championship silver medallist. Joining them are multiple-time British shot put champion Scott Lincoln and 2025 World Championship 400m gold medallist Amber Anning.

For more information:
https://www.britishathletics.org.uk/events-and-tickets/novuna-uk-athletics-champs-2026/

Tickets:
https://www.ticketmaster.co.uk/artist/5454545