Grabarz gunning for London

Grabarz leapt to a new personal best of 2.34m in Germany in January - three centimetres better than the A standard needed to put himself in contention for London 2012  selection.

The 24-year-old bettered the qualification mark again at the Aviva Grand Prix, jumping 2.32m, and hit it once more on the way to sixth at the World Indoor Championships.

But for Grabarz to be sure of a place on the British team he will need to finish in the top two at the Aviva 2012 Trials that take place in Birmingham in June.

And, while Grabarz admits it is a real boost to know that he has the height all safe and sound in his pocket, there is no chance of him getting ahead of himself just yet.

"I'm in a much nicer position now because the pressure is off to a certain extent. I don't have to spend all season chasing the standard," said Grabarz, speaking at the Aviva Athletics Academy Sportshall Finals.

"I can relax now and focus on my training so that when the big events come around I am fighting fit and ready to compete well.

"The world indoors provided me with an invaluable experience and sixth was a great result that I would definitely have taken at the start of the season.

"But it was so close, I actually jumped the second highest height and there were only two centimetres in it so that gives me confidence moving forward but is also a tiny bit frustrating.

"That was my first major final and the experience will stand me in good stead, jumping back to back to qualify and then in the final means I know now that I'm physically and mentally capable of doing it."

There is a lot of strength in depth in British men's high jumping with Samson Oni having also secured the Olympic A standard during the indoor season.

Then there is European bronze medallist Martyn Bernard, who opened his account last month and Tom Parsons, yet to compete this year but Grabarz believes the more competition the better.

"There's a lot of competition but that can only be a good thing, you never want to saunter into the team," he added.

"Because you're being chased hard by at least four other guys that means you never take your foot off the gas.

"This is just such an exciting time, I've got a few events lined up, the first real test for me will be the Rome Diamond League in May then there are a couple of smaller competitions to lead me into the trials, I can't wait for it all to get started."