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Seventeen-year-old Truro middle distance runner Katie Knowles has made an explosive start to the new season with a new personal best time lifting her to fourth fastest in the UK for the under-20 females 1,500 metres.

At the Millfield PB Classic time trials event, she knocked 1.5 seconds off her previous best for a new time of 4.28.15.

The Truro School student who is being mentored by Dame Kelly Holmes was selected to compete in the fastest women's race of the night - the 1,500m women's "A" race - and she finished sixth.

"This was my first 1,500m race of the season and it usually it takes me a couple of races to get down to my PB," said Katie, "so I was very pleased to knock 1.5 seconds off it. It shows everything is moving in the right direction - and I should also be able to reduce my PB in the 3,000m as well."

It all augers well for her bid to make her mark on the world stage - she is hoping to qualify for the 3,000 metres at the World Junior Track and Field Championships at Bydgoszcz in Poland from July 8-13, with trials at Bedford from June 21-22.

And her Millfield triumph came in the wake of a timely boost from her sponsors, Redruth-based Lowena Homes Ltd, where she called in to collect three new pairs of training shoes from David Worlledge, joint managing director, as part of an initial package worth more than £1,500.

The package also includes a year's-worth of fortnightly massage and financial help with travel and accommodation, which will enable her to compete in around half a dozen extra events this summer. The help with overnight accommodation will also make her better prepared.

Katie was one of five sports people and organisations to win sponsorship after Lowena had publicly invited applications.

She is now setting her sights on her next big ambition - to represent Great Britain and to compete at the World Junior Championship.

"To make Poland, I have to achieve the qualifying time of 9:20 at or before the Under-20 British Junior Championships at Bedford and to finish in the top two there," she explains.

"My training has gone very well so far this year. My personal best last year was 9:30, and my training times have been faster, so I believe I have a good chance of making the qualifying time."

Katie sees her greatest potential as the 3,000 metres, although she made her England debut as a cross country runner last year, finishing first in the under-20s women's race at the International Cross Juan Muguerza in Spain.

This year she has also benefited from her selection for special mentoring by double Olympic champion Dame Kelly Holmes.

Katie began competing at the age of ten, as a pupil at Treliske School, where she recalls: "It all started with a cross-country race in a PE lesson. I beat the boys, as well as the girls, by quite a distance, and the boys didn't like it at all!"

She is currently ranked sixth in the UK and 16th in Europe as a first year under-20 over 3,000 metres with her time of 9:30.

5:18pm Tuesday 13th May 2008

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