DANNY Talbot’s excellent start to the season continued this week with selection for the inaugural IAAF World Relays in the Bahamas, writes Kevin Fahey.

The Trowbridge Tornado, who recently turned 23, will join a strong British squad for the exciting new event which will take place in Nassau on Sunday, May 25.

“It is obviously a great honour to be picked for any team but especially a World Championships and again especially after the disappointment of last season,” said Talbot.

“It’s also nice that I will be able to go to the very first relay championships for it to be in the Caribbean makes it even better.

“I think we have a great chance of beating the top teams now so we can go in with a lot of confidence.”

Talbot staked an overwhelming case for inclusion after recording a personal best of 10.17secs in Florida at the start of last month, putting him fourth in UK rankings this year.

Only new World Indoor champion Richard Kilty (10.12), James Ellington (10.13) and Harry Aikines-Aryeetey (10.14) have gone quicker with Talbot ahead of the likes of Chijindu Ujah (10.31) and Adam Gemili (10.32).

It is a welcome return to the relay squad for Talbot, who was in the team that competed in the London Olympics but suffered the bitter disappointment of being involved in the poor handover with Gemili that saw the team disqualified.

But last season Talbot was overlooked for the World Championships, a decision that only served to make him even more determined to bounce back in 2014.

As for the 200m, which remains Talbot’s main event, he clocked 20.61secs in Clermont, Florida, last weekend.

“I am so very happy especially with all the travelling and lack of sleep too,” added Talbot.

“It’s been good to get a good series of races in at the beginning and all around the European Championship qualifying mark so it’s setting me up nicely for the summer.

“If previous years are to go by, I should be able to knock a few tenths off by July.”

His time of 20.61secs was Talbot’s slowest since flying out to America last month but came just a few days after running 20.59secs in the Cayman Islands.

His best time in America was the 20.48secs which was only just outside his personal best and has given Talbot the confidence that he will break his best this season.

  • AT THE Bristol 10k road race on Sunday, Winsley mum Sandra Maslen carved nearly four minutes off her personal best in only her second ever 10 km with a time of 53mins 55secs.

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