JOE FERGUSON has decided not to compete in this weekend’s British Indoor Championships but still believes he is on course to reach some major international outdoor events later in the year.
The 23-year-old sprinter from Darton has been competing regularly indoors in the early months of this year, mainly over 60m in the UK but also in a 200m in the Czech Republic.
The 200m specialist has decided not to go to the British Championships in Birmingham.
He said: “We’re going to give it a miss. After a heavy week of racing, I am feeling a bit niggly.
“It’s not worth risking injury.
“We want to focus on the outdoor season and not go into it carrying any kind of injury.
“We will probably shut the indoor season down there. We just wanted to see how we went on in a few races.
“We’ll go back to training for a few months now and start competing outdoors in May.”
Ferguson – who previously reached the semi-final of the 2022 World Championships over 200m – is hoping to make the GB squad for the European Championships in Rome in June then the Olympics in Paris.
“The Europeans would be great to compete in.
“Beside the worlds, it would be my biggest event so far.
“I have been to the Junior Europeans but not the senior one.
“I have already run the qualifying time so I would just need to prove my fitness and form early in the season.
“I would love to compete for silverware there and use it as a platform for the ultimate goal which is being in Paris for the Olympics.”
Ferguson is pleased with the shape he is in going into what could be a life-changing year.
“Everything is good.
“We’ve made some improvements to my technique and worked on the finer details. I am maturing into the 200m a lot more.
“I have done a lot of trial and error and practice over the years.
“My start can definitely improve but I am a lot more confident.
“That will make it easier to execute my best in races.”
