IT'S not every day you beat the women's world 400 metres champion, but Melanie Purkiss is taking it all in her talented stride.

The 20-year-old from North Baddesley left Australian golden girl Cathy Freeman trailing in her wake over 100 metres at the weekend's Cork City Games but was quick to put her giant-killing feat into perspective.

"Tiredness had a lot to do with it," she confessed. "Cathy had already beaten me over 200m and won the 400m, so she was asking a lot of herself to run again.

"Even so, it felt great to beat a world champion, particularly since my time of 11.55 - albeit wind assisted - was a personal best."

The stiff breeze also played its part part in speeding Purkiss home in 23.64 seconds behind Freeman in the 200m, but a little help from the elements could not deflate her good mood.

With the Bedford trials less than two weeks away, she looks in promising shape for the top-two finish needed for automatic 200m selection for the European Under-23 Championships in Gothenburg, Sweden, at the end of July.

Furthermore, the Team Solent sprinter has already booked her July 5 airline ticket to the World Student Games in Palma, Majorca, where she will compete in both the individual 200m and the 4x100m relay.

"I can't wait for it all to happen now," said Purkiss, back at home with her family in Hampshire, having just completed her second year psychology exams at Loughborough University. She added: "I feel much more confident with a few sub-24-second races under my belt and hopefully I can get my personal best down a bit more yet."

Chris Bennett, another of Team Solent's out-standing sprint prospects, finished well down in the 400 metres field in 49.2 seconds at Cork in the strong winds - but he is still recovering from the after-effects of a virus.

Bennett has two mega-meetings ahead of him. The weekend after next (July 3/4) the 18-year-old Peter Symonds student will be chasing Euro-pean Junior Champion-ship selection at the AAA Under-20/ Under-23 Championships at Bedford.

The following week (July 9/10) he heads for the English Schools' Championships at Bury St Edmunds hoping to build on senior boys' bronze from last year.

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