MICHAEL RIMMER will attempt to put a miserable year behind him when he begins his World Championship bid in Berlin today.
The 23-year-old Liverpool Pembroke Sefton star goes in the 800m heats and should cruise into Friday night’s semi-finals.
However, after seeing his preparations badly hampered by illness and injury Rimmer was taking nothing for granted.
He made the semi-finals at the World Championships in Japan two years ago and repeated the trick at the Olympics last summer but this year he has failed to get within one and a half seconds of his personal best of 1:44.68.
“It’s difficult to know what form I am in because it has been so stop-start,” Rimmer said.
“It is going to be a step into the unknown and I am not sure how I am going to feel.
“But hopefully it is going to be a lot easier being a bit of an underdog and people not quite knowing what shape I’m in.”
The final of the 800m will be held in Berlin on Sunday evening.
SOUTHPORT Waterloo’s Richard Shearer triumphed in the gruelling Haigh Hall race series.
Shearer went into the fourth and final round at the top of the standings and produced a solid run to take second place in 21minutes 21seconds.
Having won two and finished fifth in the other rounds, Shearer was a comfortable series winner ahead of Steve Nolan (Horwich) and Mark Seed (Salford).
Shearer received great support from his clubmates as Southport won both team events.
Rob Ashworth (22:50) was fifth on the day followed by Rob McGrath (7th, 23:23), Rick Bowker (10th, 23:56) and Ben Johnson (12th, 24:09).
Southport’s Tracey Peters ran well in her first road race after long term injury and was the second woman home in 27:39 with Rachel Thomas (31:31) fifth and Christine Cutner (32:01) sixth.
