Shaftesbury Barnet's Catherine Murphy retained her 400m title in the AAA Indoor Championships at Cardiff on Sunday, and is among the early selections in the British team for the European event in Vienna next month.

Anthony Whiteman (1500m) also gained a gold, and there were silvers for Abi Oyepitan (60m) and newcomer Taneisah Robinson-Scanlon (triple jump). Whiteman and Oyepitan are contenders for a place when the rest of the team is announced on February 19.

Murphy and Whiteman simply outclassed the opposition. Last season Murphy became the first woman to achieve the 400m/200m double in the championships. But a tight schedule restricted her to defending the 400m title.

In the final, she demonstrated her speed over 200m, reaching the halfway mark in 24.4secs, well clear of her two rivals, Karen Gear (North Devon) and Susan Williams (Walton).

The further they went the more the gap widened, and after reaching the 300m mark in 37.5secs, Murphy won by 30 metres in 52.54secs, with Gear (54.36secs) second and Williams (55.84secs) third.

It was an impressive performance by Murphy, who has started the year well, and is likely to do well in Vienna, despite the stronger opposition.

A year ago, Whiteman, Britain's No2 over 1500m behind John Mayock, was lying in hospital following a groin operation, and watched on TV as Mayock won.

He decided to give the indoor event a try this year, and was soon well clear, easing up a long way out as he won in 3mins 52.44secs from Angus McLean (Team Solent), who returned 3mins 52.67secs.

"I enjoyed the run, though I know it was not as highly competitive as it will be in Vienna," said Whiteman. Shaftesbury's Kojo Kyreme was seventh in 3mins 55.94secs.

In the women's 1500m, won by Natalie Lewis (Cardiff AC) in 3mins 52.44secs, Shaftesbury's Jo Ankier was seventh in 3mins 55.94secs.

Oyepitan, Britain's fastest woman over 100m last season with 11.29secs, clocked a personal best of 7.31secs in winning her 60m semi-final, but Joice Maduaka (Essex Ladies and Woodford Green) was slightly faster with 7.28secs in the other semi-final.

In the final, Oyepitan was slow into her stride, and although she ran on strongly, she had to settle for second place in 7.41secs behind Maduaka, who led all the way.

Taneisha Robinson-Scanlon excelled to take second place in the triple jump with 13.20m, not far behind former Shaftesbury member, world indoor record holder Ashia Hansen, who jumped 13.53m.