Highlights of the 2011 Indoor Season

WHILE the World Championships will be the pinnacle of 2011, the indoor season is shaping up to be more than just a sub-plot en route to Daegu.

Ennis aiming for European indoor gold

JESSICA ENNIS is looking to enhance her résumé as the 24-year-old goes in search of the European indoor pentathlon title in Paris. Ennis won the world indoor title in Doha last March in a UK record of 4937 to move to third on the world all-time lists and while claiming the gold medal is the utmost priority, Ennis must have Irina Belova's long-standing world indoor record of 4991 in the back of her mind.

The world champion's first test of the season comes at Kelvin Hall in Glasgow, where Ennis faces Lolo Jones and Priscilla Lopes-Schliep in the 60m hurdles and the European champion is set for an appearance in the long jump as well.

Strong fields in Birmingham

THE Aviva Grand Prix at the NIA is arguably the most prestigious event on the European indoor circuit and the organisers have already announced the participation of US 110m hurdles record-holder David Oliver, who faces European and Commonwealth champion Andy Turner in the 60m hurdles. Phillips Idowu is also targeting a victory on home-soil in the triple jump.

Last year's highlights included Fabiana Murer's 4.82m clearance in the pole-vault as well as Jenny Meadows's UK indoor 800m record of 1:59.11.

The return of Isinbayeva

MULTIPLE world record-holder Yelena Isinbayeva opted to miss the 2010 outdoor season due to exhaustion but fully-refreshed after a brief hiatus, Isinbayeva is ready to stage a return to competitive action. The Russian, who set a world indoor record of 4.90m at the European Indoor Championships in 2005, is expected to face world champion Anna Rogowska from Poland, who is also on the comeback trail after injury. Isinbayeva holds 14 of the 15 best-ever indoor performances and this will be her first major competition en route to a return to global competition in Daegu this summer.

This indoor season will also mark the return of Yuriy Borzakovskiy, who was forced to miss the European Championships with a foot injury and the Russian could put up a defence of his European indoor title in Paris.

European champions set for Paris homecoming

THE French team delivered a resurgent performance at the European Championships in Barcelona last year where they claimed a total of 18 medals and many of their leading exponents have expressed an interest in competing at the European Indoor Championships in Paris. Triple European champion Christophe Lemaitre might not be the most proficient starter but the 20-year-old is targeting a full indoor season and will be the leading contender in the 60m. Likewise, European 200m champion Myriam Soumare isn't as comfortable over the shorter distance but is expected to go head-to-head with European 100m champion Verena Sailer from Germany in the final of the 60m.

Meanwhile, European decathlon champion Romain Barras heads the invitation list for the heptathlon and reigning champion Renaud Lavillenie is expected to put up a defence of his European indoor pole-vault title. World indoor triple jump record-holder Teddy Tamgho is likely to attempt to add further honours to his CV.

US vs. Jamaica clash at Millrose Games

THE Millrose Games has lost some of the luster it had when the US circuit was the pinnacle of the indoor season in the 1980s but the sprinting showdown between the USA and Jamaica will help to restore some of its prestige. The first major athlete to sign up to the head-to-head is two-time Olympic 200m champion Veronica Campbell-Brown, who also won the world indoor 60m title last March.