The hammer thrower Sophie Hitchon has broken her British record for the third time this year with a throw of 71.61 metres – posting the Olympic A qualifying standard mark for a second time – in the Olympic training centre in Chula Vista, California, on Thursday(26th April) Hitchon set a British record by throwing 70.40m in Loughborough in March, beating her own mark of 69.59, and increased that distance to 70.47m at the Mount Sac relays last weekend.

"I feel really good and training out here has gone really well," said Hitchon. "It's just really good to repeat it in competition. I love competing - I don't want to be one of those who says, 'I'm throwing this in training' but can't reproduce it in competition.""I think the A standard takes the pressure off my mind, the last few competitions I possibly tried too hard but now I can relax and compete to the best of my abilities."The Blackburn Harriers star has enjoyed an impressive career trajectory, adding more than five metres to her personal best since winning the world junior title in 2010.