TAKING an awed look around Sheffield's (pounds) 28m indoor sports facility yesterday, Fiona May ventured that her career would have been radically different had this athletics arena existed a decade ago.

The Leeds graduate won the world junior long jump title for Britain and then took silver at the 1991 World Student Games in Sheffield. It has been a source of permanent angst to the sport that she subsequently defected, citing lack of financial support and poor facilities.

''Life might have been very different for me if this had been here then,'' she said. ''I'd probably still have been coached in Italy, but I would not have been competing for Italy.''

She married pole vaulter and long jumper Gianni Iapichino (they met in a disco when she won that 1988 junior crown) and he now coaches her. The couple live near Florence where she is known as the Black Panther, having thrice won world titles (one indoors), European indoor gold, and Olympic silver twice, all wearing the Azzurri vest. Gifts of Armani and Gucci clothing are common. She is equally at home on catwalk or runway.

May said just (pounds) 500 in support would have kept her British. Now she is among some 70 overseas guests in the two-day Norwich Union World Trials and AAA Championships at the English Institute of Sport. The televised meeting will inform GB selection for the world event in Budapest next month.

Following a dismal comeback season (after the birth of daughter Larissa in July 2002) the 34-year-old May will compete for the first time against her younger sister, Natasha, whom her husband has also been coaching, since last October.

Eleven years Fiona's junior, she was promising in her early teens, but could not handle the expectation, and quit athletics to play netball, reaching the fringes of England's team. Her best is 6.26cm and although that is 85cm behind her sister, it would certainly put her among the medals today.

The sisters were very close when they were younger. ''She used to look after me all the time,'' said Natasha, ''but when she went to Italy, I felt I was all on my own, and we started to drift apart, although there were several phone calls a week.''

Fiona, however, has been a big influence on her decision to return. ''Sometimes I regret leaving the sport,'' Natasha admitted. ''I'd be in a better position, but I just couldn't handle it - too much pressure, too much hype, comparisons. I was always Fiona May's sister, never Natasha. I'd no identity. It wasn't jealousy, but I always hated her doing athletics. I knew I had talent, but couldn't develop it. I feel I can handle things now ... I want to be as good as her, eventually.''

Fiona's ninth place (6.46m) at last year's world event in Paris was her poorest championship result in a decade. ''It was

far harder than I imagined, coming back after the baby,'' she said, ''but I am so much better this year. I'm going in blind, I don't know what I'm capable of.''

Today will tell much about whether she has a realistic chance of that elusive Olympic gold in Athens. ''As soon as I came off that rostrum four years ago in Sydney, I said: 'I've got to win that. It can't be true. I can't come second twice'.''

She was stunned by Chioma Ajunwa in Atlanta, and then by the ageing Heike Drechsler in Sydney. ''There's always some Olympic surprise. Lady Luck owes me one - there was also second and third at the worlds in 1997 and 1999.''

Not even Marion Jones jumping in Athens will upset her. ''She was in the equation in '97, '99 and 2000,'' says May. ''The results speak for themselves. Okay, if she jumps 7.30, then gold isn't on for me ... but her presence will be good for the event.''

Natasha hopes her sister will give her advice and encouragement today, but Fiona said: ''I'm not sure about that. I'll be so focussed on myself.

Ruth Irving, the Scottish indoor record-holder (6.27m) said last night she would be unable to defend her title - ''niggling Achilles and shoulder injuries, which set me back three weeks, and then finally food poisoning this week,'' she said. ''Hopefully, I'll be okay for the Scottish championships next weekend.''

Irving's Edinburgh Southern clubmate Gillian Cooke, who pole-vaulted for Scotland at the Commonwealth Games, is in the middle of transition to the long jump.

She improved 39cm last year, to 6.03m, but that was

two centimetres short of the distance needed to secure full area institute of sport support as a jumper. ''There was no

latitude for my switch from

the vault, and I now need to jump 6.10m to restore institute support,'' she says.

AAA Indoor Championships,

Sheffield: the main events

Women's pole vault Scotland's Kirsty Maguire reached 3.95m outdoors last year, and the seven-year-old national indoor mark (3.81m) of Alison Murray-Jessee is there for the taking

Men's pole vault Germany World Indoor champion Tim Lobinger will have little GB opposition as Tim Thomas and Ashley Swain battle for the European Indoor Cup place, but it's also a chance for Falkirk's Richard Hurren, the Scottish record holder

Men's shot putt The holder, Scott Rider, is concentrating on bobsleigh, while UK record-holder Carl Myerscough has commitments in the US. Scots Neil Elliott, Bruce Robb, and Scot Thompson are all in the line-up. Mark Proctor already has gone beyond the World Indoor qualifying mark of 20.00 metres, but could be out-gunned by the 22-year-old Dutchman, Rutger Smith

Men's 400m World under-18 champion Ali Najmadin (Sudan), who has a best of 45.20, could upset the established GB order headed by former world champion Jamie Baulch and Superstars winner Du'aine Ladejo, but watch out for Scot Brett Rund, stepping up from 200m

Men's 60m This year's world No.1 Jason Gardener has been edging ever closer to his European record of 6.46sec, but is unlikely to need anything is as fast to secure a record-equalling fourth AAA indoor title

Women's 3000m Having claimed the scalp of Liz McColgan in the Scottish 4000m cross-country event last Sunday, Lasswade student Freya Murray tackles this distance indoors for the first time. ''I want a good time to set me up for the world cross-country 4k trial,'' she said

Women's 400m This will determine whether Scotland's Lee McConnell goes to Budapest. The world qualifying is 53.50. European under-23 champion Helen Karagounis, Cath Murphy, Liz Fairs and Mel Purkiss have all gone sub 54 seconds this year. Holder Jenny Meadows is in similar shape. If the final is high quality, McConnell may join them in Hungary for a world medal bid

Women's 1500m The world target time for holder Hayley Ovens is 4:15. Though Jo Fenn could deny her this weekend, Fenn may opt for the 800m in Budapest, so second may be good enough for Ovens. European Junior runner-up Dani Barnes and Welsh champion Natalie Lewis are the other threats, but watch for Scotland's Jenny Ward who may step up from 800m.