Athletics: Twell shows her Eastern promise in Zurich meeting

SCOTS athlete Steph Twell emerged as a distinct medal shot for the Commonwealth Games in Delhi when she defeated defending champion Lisa Dobriskey of England over 1500 metres in a personal best time at the Weltklasse Diamond League meeting in Zurich last night.

Although well down on Kenyan winner Nancy Langat (4:01.01), Twell, the 2008 World Junior champion, finished third in the race in 4:02.54, cutting 0.16 sec off her previous best to defeat Dobriskey (4:02.92) and all three runners could be in the mix for the medals when the Games take place in India in six weeks' time.

Eilidh Child (Pitreavie) was also dicing with likely Commonwealth medallists in the 400 metres hurdles at last night's meeting, finishing fifth in a race in which she was the slowest by over half a second.

Her time of 55.57, though outside her recent Scottish record of 55.16, was only just behind the third ranked Commonwealth athlete Nigerian Ajoke Odumosu (55.11) and recent European chmpion Natalya Antyukh of Russia (55.14), though the winner Kaliese Spencer (Jamaica) strengthened her gold medal favourite status with a personal best of 53.33.

"I messed up my stride pattern in the back straight which costs me a faster time and I'm a little tired after Barcelona and the Crystal Palace last week so I'm planning to take a few days' holiday then start my build-up for Delhi.," explained Child.