EXCITING middle distance runner Nick McCormick faces the biggest test of his blossoming athletics career in today's Norwich Union World and Commonwealth Trials and AAA Championships in Manchester.

The 23-year-old Morpeth Harrier currently tops the UK 1500m rankings with an impressive run of 3 mins 37.66 in Gothenburg last month - but he will be lining up against top Britons who have also got their sights set on selection for the two major championships.

His biggest rival is likely to be 2002 Commonwealth Games 1500m gold medallist Michael East, returning after injury, who is the only UK runner with the World Championships qualifying time of 3:36.20, from last year, when he ran a pb 3:32.37 in Rome. The 27-year-old Newham and Essex Beagle also clocked times of 3:34.85 (Bergen) and 3:36.01 (Berlin) and finished sixth in the Olympic Games final in 3:36.33.

There are other ambitious middle-distance men anxious to catch the selectors' attention at Sportcity, including the US college-based runners Chris Mulvaney, who recently clocked a 3:58.35 mile in Canada, and Tom Lancaster, currently second behind McCormick in the rankings with a time of 3:38.92 in Sacramento.

McCormick has been the model of consistency recently, running 3:38.83 in Prague and 3:38.85 in blustery Cork last weekend. But he is still a second and a half short of the time which could take him to Helsinki next month.

Coach Lindsay Dunn said: "Nick is going extremely well but he knows he is going into a very difficult race.

"Michael East is apparently in good shape again, Chris Mulvaney recently ran a sub-four minute mile, while Tom Lancaster is second in the rankings.

"It looks like being a race of quite big kickers and tactics are bound to play a major part.

"Nick is still a bit of an unknown quantity but he won a good 800m at Watford last month and has brought down his pbs for 800m and 3000m this summer.

"He knows it will be tough but he also realises this is his big chance."

McCormick has the Commonwealth Games' qualifying time and could win himself a trip to Australia next year but the selectors will be only interested in athletes with the necessary qualifying time for the World Championships, regardless of what happens this weekend.

Dunn said: "This is a race about being the top Briton, not about going to the World Championships.

"Athletes will still be chasing a qualifying time - you could finish fourth in the trial and still go to the World Championships if you get the time. But Nick knows that if he wins at the weekend he will be guaranteed a place in the Commonwealth Games."