Renee Regis shocked as former world champion father John presents medal following women's 200m win at the UK Athletics Indoor Championships

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Renee Regis was unaware that her father John was responsible for conducting medal presentation duties during the UK Athletics Indoor Championships, with the 20-year-old enjoying her first British title alongside her inspiration following victory in the women's 200m final in Birmingham. Elsewhere, there were convincing wins for Issy Boffey and Hannah Nuttall, while Scott Lincoln made history.

Hodgkinson and Hunter Bell pipped late by Odira in 800m final

Video credit: TNT Sports

Rising athletics star Renee Regis is focused on forging her own legacy - but after claiming her first British title at the Novuna UK Athletics Indoor Championships, a familiar face was on hand to crown her maiden achievement.

Regis produced a blistering championship record in the women's 200m semi-finals with 22.89s - the third-quickest time by a British woman indoors - and the 20-year-old returned to the track to take the gold medal in 22.95s.

Hannah Brier (23.37s) claimed silver and Brooke Ironside (23.92s) took bronze from lane two, but from lane six, Regis showed no signs of being caught, powering away for a commanding victory.

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To her surprise, Regis - representing Shaftesbury Barnet Harriers - was presented with the gold medal by her father at the Utilita Arena Birmingham.

"It was quite funny to see my dad was presenting me with the medal," Renee told BBC Sport. "He didn't tell me he was doing it, but it was a really nice moment."

Athletic excellence runs in Renee's family. Her father, John Regis, won the world indoor 200m title in 1989 and later claimed outdoor silver at the same distance, along with an outdoor European title. Her mother, Jennifer Stoute, earned 4x400m bronze at the 1992 Olympics.

Renee was asked about the role her parents played in helping her prepare for the championships, where she recorded 23.22s in the heat and then set that championship record of 22.89s in the semi-final.

"It is a mix of the lessons from my coaches and my parents," she added.

"I take in all that they say, so they are all a big help to me. I didn't expect to run that fast in the semi-final.

"My coaches told me to hit it and commit, so that's exactly what I did. It made me confident going into the final, but you can’t get too overconfident about it. You have to stay focused because I wanted to win the gold medal."

Hannah Brier congratulates Regis after winning the 200m women final

Image credit: Getty Images

What else happened on day two of UK Athletics Indoor Championships?

Jeremiah Azu added the men's 200m title to his earlier 60m triumph, with a personal best of 20.77s.

Ezekiel Lowe initially finished second but was disqualified for a lane infringement, elevating Lee Thompson to silver with 21.34s and Corey Nealon-Richards to bronze with 21.63s.

Reflecting on his performance, Azu said: "It's about time that I became a sprinter and cover the 60m, 100m and the 200m.

"It's an honour to win medals nationally and race the best in the UK and heading into the world indoors I feel like I am in a good place."

Azu had already taken the men’s 60m title, as the European and world indoor champion put down a time of 6.56s. He is now preparing for the upcoming World Indoor Championships in Poland from March 20-22.

Elsewhere, Hannah Nuttall retained her 3000m title with a championship-record time of 8:41.75, Issy Boffey took the 800m crown in the absence of Keely Hodgkinson, and Jemma Reekie won the women's 1500m after Georgia Hunter Bell was granted a medical exemption.

World indoor champion Amber Anning was a surprise third in the 400m, a race won by Yemi Mary John, while Scott Lincoln broke Linford Christie’s UK indoor record of nine titles by winning the men’s shot put for a 10th time, posting a season-best throw of 20.80m.

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