Bristol sprinter Diamond set for international debut

Bristol sprinter Emily Diamond has been selected to make her international debut at the European Under-20 Championships in Serbia later this month.

The 18-year-old Bristol & West AC athlete, from Clifton, got the call from the Great Britain selectors yesterday to confirm her place in the team to run the 200m.

"I'm delighted," said Diamond, who finished runner-up in Sunday's trials race at Bedford. "Getting into the team for the Europeans has been the goal for the season and once I started running quick times I knew I had a chance.

"It is great to be selected and I'm really looking forward to the event."

Diamond, who has just finished her A levels at Bristol Grammar School and is hoping to get the grades for Loughborough University, made her GB debut in the East Midlands town earlier this season.

But the trip to Novi-Sad for the event, which is staged between July 23-26 , is her first overseas championships and she is relishing the next stage of a career that has seen her emerge as one of Britain's best young sprinters.

"My 200m time of 24.07secs (she has also run 24.00secs indoors) ranks me around 12th in Europe, so the target will be to make the final and hopefully get a personal best," added Diamond.

Meanwhile, Westbury-on-Trym sprinter Ryan Scott, a former member of Yate & District AC, has been named in the Great Britain sprint relay squad for the European Under- 23 Championships in Kaunas, Lithuania, from July 16-19.

Last week, Bristol & West AC pole vaulter Cameron Walker-Shepherd was named in the GB team for the European Youth Olympics, in Finland.