EMERGING distance running star Collis Birmingham will defend his national 10,000-metre title in Melbourne tonight.Birmingham headlines a strong Ballarat contingent in action at the Zatopek: 10 track meeting, including exciting youngster Duer Yoa.The 10,000m men's feature event has attracted solid international competition with leading Austrian Gunther Weidlinger and American Bobby Curtis lurking in the field at Olympic Park.Birmingham's Eureka Athletics Club mentor Rod Griffin said the 23-year-old had been in top condition after arriving home in October from an extended European summer campaign."Moving between the road and track, Collis has obviously shown he's got the strength to perform well on both," Griffin said."He's also had good preparation at both Falls Creek and Jan Juc."Birmingham is nearing the end of a landmark year, which brought him personal bests from 1500m to 10,000m and an Olympic debut in the 5000m.Last month, Birmingham claimed his first five-kilometre Noosa Bolt, ending rival Martin Dent's three-year reign, and was third in Melbourne's Great Australia Run where he beat Craig Mottram, the first Australian to do so in this country since 2001.Mottram is now nursing an achilles tendon injury and will not race at the Zatopek.Birmingham's coach Nick Bideau said the Zatopek would be a good test for his charge."That (the Great Australia Run) is a big confidence boost and it shows everything is going in the right direction, but it's one step at a time," Bideau said."The next step is to see if he can tactically outsmart and physically be better than guys like Weidlinger and Curtis on the track." Ballarat runners Nathan Hartigan and Melbourne-based Ben Toomey will also contest the Zatopek feature event.Eureka youngster Duer Yoa will join Wendouree's Ash Watson and YCW's Alex Davis in the men's under-20 Robert de Castella 3000m.Yoa enters the meet as one of the event favourites on the back of a personal best over 1500 metres but will face tough competition from a strong field of rising stars.Eureka stable-mate will contest the men's 1500m.Athletics Australia has organised a tribute to distance runner Kerryn McCann during the Olympic Park meeting and a minute's silence. Athletes and officials at the Zatopek:10 will also wear pink armbands in honour of the 41-year-old, who died of cancer on Sunday night.The main program starts at 7.30pm and will feature Lara Tamsett and New Zealand's Belinda Wimmer in the women's 10,000m Australian championship, Tamsyn Lewis in the 400m, Jeff Riseley (1500m) and Sean Wroe (200m).