Thames Valley Harriers' Joel Clarke-Khan hailed his winning 2.27m leap in the men’s high jump competition at the 2026 Novuna UK Athletics Championships last weekend in Birmingham as a ‘dream come true moment'.
The 26-year-old cleared the distance in his very final effort at sun-drenched Birmingham Alexander Stadium to defeat Shaftesbury Barnet Harriers’ Kimani Jack by 0.03m.
Charlie Husbands from host stadium club Birchfield Harriers took the remaining podium position after his 2.21m clearance.
Clarke-Khan’s winning mark was enough to secure him a place at both the forthcoming 2026 Glasgow Commonwealth Games and European Athletics Championships, which incidentally will be held at Birmingham Alexandra Stadium.
This was Clarke-Khan’s fourth domestic outdoor title.
After last winning in 2023, he suffered a series of injuries and had to miss out on qualifying for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
"I was just thinking in the moment before I cleared it – this is the moment I have dreamt about," Clarke-Khan said.
"This is a moment that will live long in the memories.
"I don’t even mean if I clear it, even if I don’t clear it, to be in a position fighting for the gold.
"A final jump with the whole crowd behind you.
"The final result was an absolute bonus.
"These little moments are the ones you work hard for your whole career.
"I've kind of been living off that moment in London Diamond League in 2023.
"That’s been keeping my fire burning for a long time now during the injuries and it's been burning pretty thin since.
"So it's nice to have something to reignite that fire."
The Wormwood Scrubs-based club claimed three silver medals at the weekend’s domestic championships.
Jude Bright-Davies had to settle for the silver medal for the fourth time of asking in the men’s triple jump, with the gold going to Cambridge Harriers’ Daniel Falode.
Emma Nwofor (women’s 100m hurdles) and Molly Palmer (women’s long jump) were the other silver medallists while Arabella Wilson bagged bronze in the women’s 400m hurdles final.
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