Hammer thrower Holt eyes dual assault on Euros and Commonwealths

By David Jordan, Sportsbeat

SARAH Holt already has one foot on the plane to October's Commonwealth Games in Delhi - but the hammer thrower insists securing a passage to India is just the start of her 2010 masterplan.

STEPPING UP: Sarah Holt believes she is worth a place at the European Championships and the Commonwealth Games this year

Holt underlined her Olympic potential by claiming bronze at the European Under-23 Championships in Lithuania last July. Then she began her outdoor season with a bang by setting a new lifetime best of 65.51m at the Loughborough International last month.

The 23-year-old's form has seen her retained by UK Athletics as one of 15 athletes on the Original Source sponsored Heroes project - providing her with financial support throughout the year.

And after breezing past the Commonwealth qualification standard for the fourth time this season, Holt admits she is desperate to squeeze in a trip to July's European Championships before bidding for Delhi gold.

"I have got the Commonwealth standard and I have cleared it four times already this year which is brilliant," said Holt.

"My aim now is just to continue matching and exceeding that to make sure of my place in the team.

"I also want to go to the European Championships as well so there isn't really much time I can take out, unless it is between the two.

"The B standard for the Europeans is 67.50m and the A standard is 70m and I am confident I can achieve both of those standards.

"You can take two people with the B standard so if I achieve that I would be confident of going to the Europeans, which would be an amazing experience.

"I'm looking forward to the summer at both the Europeans and the Commonwealths which would be a great way to follow up what happened last year."