SAM BENNETT SELECTED FOR COMMONWEALTH GAMES AFTER KNEE INJURY RECOVERY

Sam Bennett, a 110-metre hurdler, has been added to the Team England squad for next month's Commonwealth Games following two recent personal best performances. Bennett, based in Basildon, clocked 13.45 seconds at a meeting in the Netherlands before improving to 13.41 seconds to win the UK Championships title in Birmingham. His selection came as one of 63 athletes added to the Team England squad on Monday. Bennett described the prospect of competing at the Commonwealth Games in Scotland as "amazing", noting the significance of representing England on home soil.

Bennett's return to competitive form follows a serious knee injury sustained in December. He tore his posterior cruciate ligament and suffered extensive damage to other knee structures, described as approximately a 90 per cent tear, after tripping over a hurdle during a training session. The injury required three months without running, a period Bennett described as an identity crisis given his status as a professional runner. He had previously experienced injury setbacks throughout his nine-year career in the sport.

Bennett expressed emotional relief at his Birmingham victory, having previously fallen short at the UK Championships two years ago by 0.01 seconds in a race where only one athlete was selected for Olympic competition. He told BBC Essex Sport Extra that wearing an England vest represented something "really special" beyond his club representation. The Commonwealth Games are scheduled to take place in Scotland next month.