CITY of York Athletics Club ace Scott Lincoln has been crowned Britain’s indoor shot-put champion for a third successive year.

Lincoln threw 18.40 metres to take gold at the Birmingham-hosted event, which also saw him become a six-time national champion.

Finishing more than a metre ahead of runner-up Scott Rider, Lincoln is now waiting to hear whether he will be allowed to compete at next month’s World Indoors Championship at the same venue.

Despite falling short of the qualifying distance required for that competition, Team GB, as hosts, are permitted to enter one athlete in an event where there is no representation otherwise, which could open the door for Lincoln.

Lincoln’s 18-year-old York team-mate Lucy Haddaway also got on the rostrum with a bronze medal courtesy of a season’s best leap of 6.06m in the long jump.

Haddaway finished behind Olympian heptathlete and national indoor long jump record holder Katrina Johnson-Thompson, who grabbed gold with a distance of 6.71m.

City of York’s Rebecca Campsall also reached the semi-finals of the 60m – a feat matched by Tom Somers in the 400m after he ran a personal best of 48.45 seconds to finish third during his earlier heat.

Alice Linnaker, meanwhile, made the heats of the 60m hurdles.

At the same event, former Olympic long jump champion Greg Rutherford returned to action with a victory.

The 31-year-old only competed three times last year and missed the chance to defend his World Championship title after groin and ankle operations, but he jumped 7.80m at the Arena Birmingham.

Rutherford, who has withdrawn from the England team for this April’s Commonwealth Games in Australia, is due to compete in this weekend’s Indoor Grand Prix at Glasgow and will then decide whether to contest the World Indoors - the only global title that he is yet to win.

“If they are still willing to put me in, I’ll feel through Glasgow and I’ll push it on a bit within the next week,” said Rutherford. “If all goes well, then why not?”

“I only put spikes in one month ago so it meant a lot to do all six rounds.

Elsewhere, Scotland’s Laura Muir won the women’s 3,000m ahead of Eilish McColgan.

Muir finished in eight minutes, 46.71 seconds, ahead of fellow Scot McColgan, who ran a season’s best time of 8:50.87.

After a stuttering start, Andrew Pozzi recovered to take the 60m hurdles crown in 7.58 seconds, while reigning European champion Asha Philip beat her fellow British world relay silver medallist Daryll Neita in the women’s 60m with a season’s best 7.12.

CJ Ujah won the men’s 60m in 6.56 seconds in a final field of five, after 2014 world champion Richard Kilty withdrew before the start of the race and two other athletes were disqualified for false starts.

There was a first British title, meanwhile, for Jake Whiteman, who secured his place at the World Championships with victory in the men’s 1500m after clocking 3:43.83.