Heptathlete O'Dowda pushing for podium after seventh at European Championships

Jade O'Dowda reckons her rock-solid European Championship campaign can lay the foundations for an international podium push next season. The Oxford star, 22, battled to a seventh-place heptathlon finish in Munich this week after a gruelling two days at the city's Olympic Stadium. Ad O'Dowda bagged a bronze medal for Team England at the Commonwealth Games but was unable to live with the red-hot standard set by Nafi Thiam, Adrianna Sułek and Annik Kalin, who grabbed the podium places.

AthleticsBell has Hodgkinson in her sights3 HOURS AGO O'Dowda claimed victory with a leap of 1.80m in the high jump and says the confidence gained from her strongest disciplines – she also finished fifth with a personal best 2:12.03 in the 800m – can fire her towards a medal in the future. She said: «All the events were just solid. »I think with the performances I did, I am happy with seventh place after a good two days' work.

«I had two really good events in the high jump and 800m, and everything else wasn't really anything special, but wasn't anything awful either. »It was a personal best in the 800m and going into it, that's what we set out to do. «It was a good experience and hopefully one of many in future.» O'Dowda kicked off her campaign with an impressive second-place finish in the 100m hurdles behind German home favourite Carolin Schafer.

Then came that brilliant effort in the high jump before rounding off the opening day of competition with seventh in the shot put and fifth in the 200m. O'Dowda finished fifth in the long jump then ninth in the javelin before ending her championships in style with that defiant 800m run. British teammate Holly Mills struggled to emulate O'Dowda's consistency, languishing down the standings before