Eilidh Child feels super fit as she targets final

EILIDH Child insists she has never felt in better shape after she cruised through to the semi-finals of the 400m hurdles at the athletics World Championships in Moscow yesterday.

Dalilah Muhammad of the USA leads, just ahead of Great Britains Eilidh Child, in yesterdays 400m hurdles heat in Moscow. Picture: AFP/Getty

The 26-year-old finished second in her heat in a time of 55.17 seconds behind USA national champion Dalilah Muhammad.

And with the semi-finals today the Pitreavie athlete, who claimed silver behind her compatriot Perri Shakes-Drayton in the 400m at the European Indoors earlier this year, is already targeting a place in her first major championships final.

But to do that Child, who this year has twice broken the Scottish national record, knows she will have to be up around her personal best of 54.22 seconds.

“This is the fittest I have ever been going into a championships like this so I’m hoping I can just go out there and make the final,” she said.

“Getting into the final is what I really want to do. After the semi-final at London 2012 that is the next step for me.

“So I will need to run it like it’s my final, give it everything I’ve got and if I can run close to my PB, maybe even faster, then in the past that has been enough and hopefully it will be again.

“If I execute my race right, run as fast as I have been then I will be in with a good shout.

“That heat was alright, it was a bit messy but I’m just glad to get it out the way.

“I hate first rounds, there are always nerves and you don’t want to muck anything up. It should be the easy part and it never is. I’m pleased to have got through safely and now I can start to look forward to the next round.

“I just lost a bit of momentum going into hurdle nine but it was nothing disastrous and I recovered OK.”

Child was one of a British trio of female 400m hurdlers that all qualified for the semi-finals on Monday as Shakes-Drayton and Meghan Beesley both cruised through their respective heats.

All three men went through as well, including defending world champion Dai Greene, but it was a tight call for the Welshman who finished fourth in his heat.

Sebastian Rodger made it through as a fastest loser while Rhys Williams also went through in fourth as the Brits enjoyed a successful morning on the track.

In the heptathlon Katarina Johnson-Thompson, the heir apparent to Olympic champion Jessica Ennis-Hill, enjoyed a successful morning as she sits fourth on 2068 points from the first two events of 100m hurdles and high jump.

However, there was less good news for James Wilkinson and Brett Morse, who failed to progress in the 3000m steeplechase and discus respectively.

Morse could only manage a best distance of 59.23m in qualifying, more than 7m down on the personal best he set when winning June’s Welsh Championships, something he admitted would be gnawing at him for a long time.

“It’s very frustrating,” Morse said. “I’ve been in good shape all year and thrown very far.

“Obviously, technically things were off and in the World Championships it’s unforgiving and I didn’t make the cut and it is as simple as that.”

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