INTERNATIONAL athlete Ann Williams from St Helens has been given a major boost in her bid for a place at the Olympic Games.

For she's been selected to contest the 1500 metres event for Great Britain in the European Cup in Madrid on June 1 and 2.

Plagued by injuries over the past 18 months and by a chest infection recently, Ann said: "I'm really pleased to have been selected.

Her preparations continue in Dijon this Sunday, and on the Wednesday after the European Cup meeting she will run in the Rome Grand Prix.

And that's followed by the Olympic trials meeting in Birmingham.

But Ann, aged 30, still has one or two obstacles to overcome.

Although she's achieved the Olympic qualifying time of four minutes 10 seconds in the past, she's not broken that barrier so far this year.

But now back to fitness, she's confident of reaching her target.

Her other worry - should she been selected for Atlanta -is the heat.

She said: "There was a meeting there at the weekend when the temperature was a 100-plus, so who knows what it's going to be like in August."

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