OXFORDSHIRE’S Hannah England says her focus this year is on the outdoor season, after finishing well off the pace in Saturday’s British Grand Prix indoor meeting in Birmingham, writes STUART WEIR. England, Oxford City’s world championship silver medallist, was sixth in the 1500m in 4mins 14.70secs.

The race was won by Geneze Dibaba, of Ethiopia, 4.00.83.

The race was billed as a world record attempt with a pace-maker, but England – in her first outing of the year – was content to stay off the pace and run her own race. “I wasn’t sure what to expect,” she said.

“I haven’t been able to run this week as I have been ill. I just wanted to get out there and run.

“Training has gone really well, but I have not yet managed to get the speed work in.

“I felt a bit rusty. I was pleased to be top Brit, but of course I would like to have run faster.”

England left open the possibility of going to the European Indoor Championships in the first week of March, for which the British team is named this week.

She said: “I need to sit down and talk to my coach about whether I am better going to the European Indoor championships or just getting on with training.

“My focus in 2013 is on the outdoors and the World Championships in Moscow in August.”

Lawrence Clarke, who comes from Christmas Common, near Watlington, could finish only sixth in his heat of the 60m hurdles in a time of 7.83. Clarke, who came fourth in the Olympic 110m hurdles, broke his wrist in December after tripping over a hurdle which was in the wrong place. “I have just come out of a cast after two months,” he said. “I had to ask for lane one to avoid the risk of clashing arms and hurting the wrist more”.

He still took positives from the race, saying: “I was very pleased to get a good start as that is something I have been working on last year.

“It is interesting to see where you are. I ran a lot slower than I thought I would, but I am really not fussed.” He will also be concentrating on preparing for the outdoor season from now on.