Lawrence Clarke, the newly-crowned British Indoor 60 metres hurdles champion, faces the ultimate test in the Sainsbury’s Indoor Grand Prix at Birmingham today.

The 25-year-old from Oxfordshire will be racing against reigning Olympic champion, American Aries Merritt.

Clarke, who lives in Christmas Common, near Watlington, will be hoping to repeat his display in Birmingham last weekend when he won the British title with a time of 7.69.

This all part of Clarke’s build-up for next month’s European Championships.

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Oxford City’s Hannah England, who finished sixth in the 3,000 metres last week, will be dropping down in distance to run the mile today.

Radley sprinter Ramone Smith, a surprise 60-metres finalist in Birmingham, has another chance to compete over the distance.

Meanwhile, Mo Farah, who runs in the two-mile race, has claimed British team-mate Andy Vernon questioned his nationality after the double Olympic champion won European 10,000m gold.

Somalia-born Farah, 31, who beat his fellow Briton to the title, said Vernon suggested he did not deserve the win because he was not European.

But Vernon, 29, said this was a huge misrepresentation.

“All I said in a complete joking fashion was that I was European champion,” said Vernon.

The nationality claims were made by Farah when he was questioned about a row the pair had had on Twitter.