800m runner Sharp makes Loughborough move

The 22-year-old 800m runner burst on the scene late last season, booking a London 2012 spot after winning silver at May's European Championships and winning the Olympic trials a month later – pipping the likes of Marilyn Okoro to the capital.

Sharp bowed out of London 2012 at the semi-final stage and has since undergone a change of coaches, now training with American Terrence Mahon with long-time trainer Dave Sunderland having taken over as British Athletics' endurance coach.

And Sharp has now opted to train at the UK Athletics centre in Loughborough, revealing that the chance to train in a group and poor state of the facilities at her old home of Meadowbank in Edinburgh were behind her decision.

"There are a number of factors, but the Meadowbank situation is one," she said. "Facilities are quite an important issue.

"I'm going to be splitting my time between Loughborough and Edinburgh. I'm still going to be home a fair bit. "I love Edinburgh and my family are here. I'll still use it when I’m back – I don't really have another option.

"I've been away in Kenya for the last three weeks, but I have heard things have been getting better.

"Someone told me that when it was snowing recently the track was open, which it wouldn’t normally have been, so maybe they are slowly listening."