19 July 2016 

There were just two British athletes in action in the evening session of day one of the IAAF World Junior Championships in Bydgoszcz.

Hannah Williams (coach: Colin Gaynor) and Lily Beckford (Linford Christie) both progressed in the 400m heats.

Williams, fresh from winning at the English Schools earlier this month, finished second in her heat in 53.85 to progress as an automatic qualifier. The Herts Phoenix athlete was sixth in the World Youth final last year, and made swift progress to advance to the semi-finals.

She spoke afterwards: “It felt ok. I managed to relax through the last 100m so I could save as much energy as I could for the next round. I am glad I got top three especially from the tight lane two.”

Shaftesbury Barnet’s Beckford gained a fastest qualifier place after finishing fifth in 54.70 in a fast final heat. 

Beckford commented: “I think I let my nerves get to me as I put pressure on myself. I wanted to prove I could do it rather than enjoying it a bit more. I’ll be more prepared and know what to expect tomorrow. I’ve got those first round nerves out of my system so hopefully I can relax more now.”

The 400m semi-final is on Wednesday afternoon with the final taking place on Thursday.

Follow the IAAF World Junior Championships via http://www.iaaf.org/competitions/iaaf-world-u20-championships/iaaf-world-u20-championships-bydgoszcz-2016-5680/live