OLYMPICS-bound Keely Hodgkinson remains Britain’s best athletics medal hope in Paris but decided to tackle a different event in the UK Championships in Manchester this weekend.

The 22-year-old European 800m champion from Atherton, who is the current favourite to win gold in the two-lap race in Paris, represented Leigh Harriers in the 400m at the Manchester Regional Arena.

She reached the final and finished seventh in 52.22secs, a little outside her career best 51.61secs set in Italy last month.

The thinking behind the move was understood to be that improving in the 400m event stands an athlete in good stead for the two-lap race, in which Hodkinson’s selection in the Team GB squad for Paris is already confirmed.