Athletics: Sharp move from Lynsey in Games bid

Lynsey SHARP (Edinburgh AC) will make her much-anticipated season’s debut over 800 metres, not at the Loughborough International on Sunday but in a British Milers Club grand prix meeting in Manchester’s Sports City on Saturday night.

Sharp will then travel on to Loughborough to help out her country by running a leg of the 4 x 400m relay on Sunday.

Explaining her decision, Sharp said: “It’s an evening meeting in Manchester so the chances of the conditions being calmer are better plus there are pace-makers.”

Fifth-ranked last season in the 800m, one of Britain’s most competitive events, Sharp picked up a bronze medal in the European Under-23 Championships in Ostrava in 2:00.65, her best time so far.

But she will need to run the UK Athletics A standard of 1:59.90 or faster to have any chance of selection for London 2012.

Laura Muir meanwhile takes Sharp’s place in the 800m at Loughborough where Eilidh Child (Pitreavie) will run both 400m hurdles and 4 x 400m relay.