To the 100m straight, where the big dogs lurk...

"Look at his face... just look at his face."

Barry Davies uttered those words about a footballer whose name now escapes me back in the day. He might well have been commentating on this image of Josh Kerr edging out Jake Wightman.

Hopefully these shots are not used in their passport for Tokyo.

Image source, Getty Images

Who wants some men's 100m action?

Some semi-finals with a view to bagging a place in this evening's final?

Of course you do. Get your glow sticks out, it's on.

The clocking's of Kerr and Wightman were 3:40.72 and 3:40.77.

That my friends, is a close one.

And then there were two...Josh Kerr of Edinburgh AC, Jake Wightman of the same club... they go at it in the men's 1500m and they're in a gun fight with one bend to go.

Side by side, no inch given, Kerr dips for the line and nicks it. Gutsy stuff.

Kerr is the British champion... both will go to Tokyo as they each have the necessary time banked already.

The men's 1500m final is on track and it's all kicking off with 400m to go. Hopes and dreams to be settled with one last lap of the track.

Sir Mo Farah
The UK's most successful distance runner

"I don't know what to think or what's next. If I can't compete with the best why bother?

"There's no excuse in terms of conditions - it is what it is. I genuinely thought I'd come out here, get the time and then go back to the training camp.

"I've had an amazing career. Thinking about it tonight it's a bit shocking and I don't really know what to say.

"I'm lucky enough to have so many medals. I'm one of these athletes who, if you can't compete with the best, why bother?"

Image source, Getty Images

One man we know hasn't hit the standard of course is Sir Mo Farah.

On Friday night he needed to clock 27 minutes and 28 seconds over 10,000m but he came up with just 27 minutes and 47 seconds.

Farah - now 38 - of course did the 'double double' by winning gold over 5,000m and 10,000m at both the London and Rio Olympics.

Those glory days seem some way away now.

It's worth considering that while no athlete in that women's 1500m field qualified, our very own Laura Muir is doing the 800m and given her previous form over the longer distance she may well ask selectors to consider her for both events if she proves some form this weekend.

At the bell, Katie Snowden is going to need a 58 second lap to hit that 4:04 clocking as she hits the front. The fastest woman in the field is looking graceful out there. Here comes the pressure from Holly Archer.... she leads... and on the outside Revee Walcott-Nolan hunts them down powerfully to take the win. It's 4 minutes and 8 seconds.

She doesn't have the time for Tokyo but my word she's helped break Snowden's heart there by running her out of the top two.

The women's 1500m final awaits the gun as the sun breaks through in Manchester.

A clocking of 4 minutes and 4 seconds needed to be an Olympian this year...

15:45: Men's 100m semi-final

16:08: Women's 100m semi-final

16:48: Men's 110m hurdles final

17:02: Men's 400m final

17:10: Women's 400m final

17:35: Men's 5000m final

18:25: Men's 100m final

18:35: Women's 100m final

You can access a full timetable by clicking here., external

So what do we have on the agenda in all today?

The men's long jump is underway, shortly we'll have the women's 1500m final on the track and tonight it's over to the sprinters, with both the men's and women's 100m finals on offer.

Throw in both 400m finals too and it's a day of high performance.

I'll serve up a schedule next...

Jessica Turner's win is getting some social love...

So given we're close I think there's scope for some Olympics chit chat don't you?

Hit me up with your greatest Olympic moment or with the one thing you love the most about the Games.

I'm sat here and waiting on #bbcathletics.

Go...

What does it mean to make the Olympic team?

That's what it means to make the Olympic team...

Image source, Getty Images

'NEXT STOP TOKYO'.

That's the sign Jessica Turner and Meghan Beesley are holding up.

Turner just demolished the field to clock 54.83 in the women's 400m hurdles, with Beesley second on 55.8.

So the two of them get their ticket. Beesley's passage in many ways points to the strange nature of qualifying this time around in that she actually last clocked the qualifying standard in 2019.

Such are the tweaks to qualifying because of the Covid-19 pandemic that her run at a Loughborough event in May of 2019 gets her inside the 55.4 second time needed.

So there you have it.... top two + Olympics standard = Tokyo.

Image source, Getty Images

So what are the qualifying standards I hear you ask?

Fear not my friends, we have them to hand.

And just so you know, when all this is done, important figures at British Athletics will hold a big meeting on Monday to finalise the team for Tokyo before announcing it to the masses on Tuesday morning.

Now let's get down to it...

Image source, .

Image source, Getty Images

So our athletics man Mike Henson is eyeing some decent displays today. He's also been kind enough to help me with the qualification puzzle.

British Athletics have made a dossier on how you qualify, which tells you how complex the whole thing can be.

In most instances - not all - it will come down to an athlete securing the Olympic qualifying standard over the last couple of years and placing in the top two of your event here in Manchester this weekend.

So basically run fast, throw far, jump long and stay in front of most people. Do that and you'll be sipping orange juice on the plane in no time.

Mike Henson
BBC Sport at Manchester Regional Stadium

Image source, Getty

After the wind and chill of Friday night, it is a better day for times and performances today at the Manchester Regional Stadium.

It's not exactly warm. But it's Manchester and you'll take it, mid-summer or not.

Andrew Pozzi is the first big-name single-event specialist to tread the blue track, comfortably flying through the first 110m hurdles heat.