World champion Dai Greene insists he is nearing his best form after storming to a fourth 400m hurdles national title in Birmingham.
Greene was speechless following his last performance at the Alexander Stadium, when he finished a distant fifth at the Sainsbury's Grand Prix last month.
A blood test later revealed he was suffering from a virus and he pulled out of the recent Diamond League meeting in Lausanne in a bid to be fully prepared for the Sainsbury's British Championships.
And Greene, who had hernia surgery earlier this year, duly booked his place in the British team for the World Championships in Moscow - where he'll look to defend the title he won in Daegu two years ago.
He clocked a season's best 48.66 seconds to finish well ahead of Welsh rival Rhys Williams while Richard Yates completed the podium in sun-baked Birmingham.
"Conditions were great and really favourable and I'm very pleased after a tough few weeks and some frustrating performances," said Greene, who was fourth in last year's Olympic final.
"It's nice to turn things around that gives me a lot of confidence for the next few weeks.
"Physically I feel really good, there are no injury problems, I'm over the virus and everything feels good.
"There is only one way my form could go at the moment and I was expecting a season's best to be honest, I'd have been disappointed with anything else."
Double Olympic medallist Christine Ohuruogu showed her pedigree to win over 400m, clocking 50.98 secs, while Marilyn Okoro got the better of rising star Jessica Judd to win the 800m title and James Wilkinson ended Luke Gunn's long domination of the men's 3,000m steeplechase.
"It feels fantastic. I just had to reverse last year, so I am really pleased," said Okoro.
"It was just about execution, I’m healthy and I had a great challenger in Jess Judd and I had to get her back for a couple of weeks ago and I am just so glad to have booked my place to Moscow. I ran for my life in that last ten metres."
Defending champion Yamile Aldama was forced to pull out of the women's triple jump, which was won in her absence by Laura Samuel.
Elsewhere, Emma Nuttall claimed the women's high jump, Andy Frost took the men's hammer, Rachel Wallader emerged victorious in the women's shot, Jade Lally won a third career women's discus national title and Luke Cutts edged out Steve Lewis to win the men's pole vault - but he failed to achieve the A standard needed to guarantee Moscow selection.
© Sportsbeat 2013