Alicia Barrett is crowned new British sprint hurdling champion

The 19-year-old Barrett stepped up to the plate by winning the 100m hurdles to be crowned the new British champion.

Her success came only weeks after she had broken the junior 100m hurdles record with 13.07 seconds in Bedford. This time, she clocked 13.26 in the final to edge ahead of Yasmin Miller, of Derby, who recorded 13.29.

“The time wasn’t great, but I was happy with the win,” said the Chesterfield and District AC star. “I felt fairly confident going into the race. But I am now going to take a break before the European Junior Championships in Italy later this month.

Barrett, who is currently ranked number one for her age group in Europe, has high hopes of a medal in Italy. But she feels she still has improvements to make, particularly on her start. “I’m either good or bad, and I need to be consistently good,” she said. “I have much to learn.”

Twin sister Ella, who is returning from injury, also competed at Birmingham and finished fourth in the 200m heats with a season’s best time. She said: “I’m absolutely delighted, and I can’t wait for my next race.”