Athletics: Melksham pole vaulter Sophie Upton is pleased to have finally put last year’s injury nightmare behind her after picking up another indoor medal in Holland at the weekend.

The 18-year-old, who attends St Augustine’s Catholic College in Trowbrige, competed in an international between Great Britain and the Netherlands, comfortably beating her Dutch counterpart in the same age group.

Upton also claimed gold at the Birmingham Indoor Under 20 Championships in February and could not be more pleased with how her season is progressing.

“I’m ranked third in the country now and things are going well,” she said.

“I had a lot of injuries last year and a stress fracture of my back which put me out of action for four months.

“I’m feeling good now though and my coach is very pleased with my performances.

“I’m the national U20 champion and hopefully I can build on this from here.”

Upton broke her indoor personal best in the victory at Birmingham with a leap of 3.80 metres.

She now aims to improve on it further when the outdoor season begins.

“I’m hoping to go over four metres this year,” she said.

“That’s a barrier everyone in the sport recognises. If I can meet that I will feel as though I am able to compete with the seniors all the time.”