Perri Shakes-Drayton delivers season's best 400m showing in Marseille

BySportsbeat

Published 19/06/2018 at 16:31 GMT

Former World silver medallist Perri Shakes-Drayton continued her comeback from injury with her fastest 400m time in five years in France.

Eurosport

Image credit: Eurosport

The 29-year-old claimed second place in the women's 400m at the European Athletics Classic Meeting in a season's best time of 51.97 seconds, with Italian Libania Grenot taking first.

It was only Shakes-Drayton's third race of the year after she also featured in England's 4x400m relay team at the Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast.

The former hurdler was forced to switch disciplines to the flat track after suffering a serious knee injury in 2013 that wrecked her chances at the World Championships in Moscow.

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"[It was a] good day in the office," she said, speaking after her performance on Saturday. "It was good to be racing in Marseille. Next in the plan is the British Championships/European trials."

Fellow Brit Andrew Osagie also continued his comeback from injury, crossing the line in 1.45.79 – his second fastest time of the season – to finish second in the men's 800m.

He finished behind Moroccan Mostafa Smaili, who ran a season's best of 1.45.76, while Elliot Giles just missed out on the podium as he crossed the line in fourth (1.46.78).

Elsewhere, Charles Da'Vall Grice won the men's 1500m ahead of Belgium's Isaac Kimeli in 3.36.48, with Jake Wightman third in 3.37.04.

There was also a fifth-place finish for Shelayna Oskan-Clarke in the women's 800m (2.02.87), while Steph Twell was fourth in the 5000m in 15.38.68.

Seb Rodger was fifth in the 400m hurdles in 49.77 as France's Ludvy Vaillant finished top of the podium in a personal best of 48.96, ahead of Haron Koech and Rasmus M?gi.

In the field, Shara Proctor and Abigail Irozuru were third and fifth in the long jump with marks of 6.73m (+0.9) and 6.60m (+1.2) respectively.

Irozuru's jump was an impressive season's best on her own comeback from injury, achieving the European Championship qualifying standard.

"[I'm] thankful for joyous moments like these," she said. "I believe there are many more to come."

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