TEAM Solent's rising 400 metres star Melanie Purkiss expects to face her first international test of the season in Germany next month.

England's Commonwealth Games 4x400m relay silver medallist is booked in for the International Lausitzer Meeting in Cottbus on June 4.

In the meantime she is knuckling down to some serious speed work after her early-season preparations were hampered by a slight hamstring niggle.

She said: "I wintered really well but speed-wise the hamstring problem has put me back a couple of weeks, so I'm in hard training now. There will be some fast girls out in Cottbus, so there's nowhere to hide really."

Having risen from virtual obscurity to reach the Commonwealth Games semi-final in Manchester, Purkiss - a former 200 metres specialist - has developed a surprise fondness for the gruelling one-lap event.

She said: "When I first took up the 400m I was flirting with it a bit and when my coach Todd Bennett said I would learn to enjoy it, I didn't believe him," she said.

"But last season went so well that this year I really do believe in myself as a 400m runner.

"I did my first outdoor 400 of the season for Team Solent at Coventry last Sunday and it felt really nice to be out there. I've missed competing and I'm really eager to get on with the season."

Otterbourne-based Purkiss, 24, is still juggling her athletics with a part-time job as project co-ordinator with the Southampton-based Support Volunteer Project against racial harrassment.

Track-wise, her sights this season are focussed on lowering her pb of 52.99 seconds and making the Great Britain team for the IAAF World Championships in Paris (August 22-31).

She said: "I've set the World Championships as my target and I can only hope for the best really. If I stay injury-free, I believe I can have a good season."

Purkiss will not be competing in this weekend's CAU Inter-Counties Championships - but one of Southampton's past one-lap favourites, Iwan Thomas, is expected to start his season in the two-day event at Bedford (May 25/26).

The 1998 European and Commonwealth gold medallist left the city and his coach Mike Smith last autumn to move up to Loughborough, where he is now under the guidance of Nick Dakin.

Commonwealth heptathlete Kelly Sotherton will be tackling three events for Hampshire at Bedford - the 100m hurdles, the 100m and long jump. It will be preparation for next month's European Combined Events Championships in Estonia,.

Hampshire had hoped that the Frost twins, Kathryn and Bryony, would compete in the 1500m steeplechase.

But the Isle of Wight glamour girls are opting for the South of England Under-20 Championships at Watford.