Sophie bounces back with victory in Berkeley

Sophie Hitchon shrugged off her Commonwealth Games disappointment last weekend in Berkeley, north California.
Great Britain's Sophie Hitchon competes in the Women's Hammer Throw during day two of the 2017 IAAF World Championships at the London Stadium. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Saturday August 5, 2017. See PA story ATHLETICS World. Photo credit should read: Adam Davy/PA Wire. RESTRICTIONS: Editorial use only. No transmission of sound or moving images and no video simulation.Great Britain's Sophie Hitchon competes in the Women's Hammer Throw during day two of the 2017 IAAF World Championships at the London Stadium. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Saturday August 5, 2017. See PA story ATHLETICS World. Photo credit should read: Adam Davy/PA Wire. RESTRICTIONS: Editorial use only. No transmission of sound or moving images and no video simulation.
Great Britain's Sophie Hitchon competes in the Women's Hammer Throw during day two of the 2017 IAAF World Championships at the London Stadium. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Saturday August 5, 2017. See PA story ATHLETICS World. Photo credit should read: Adam Davy/PA Wire. RESTRICTIONS: Editorial use only. No transmission of sound or moving images and no video simulation.

She won the hammer with a throw of 73.22m, just over a fortnight after three no-throws saw the favourite for the gold medal bow out of the final on the Gold Coast.

The Rio 2016 bronze medalist had eased back into action five days after the Commonwealth Games final by throwing 70.03m to win the Spring Fling Elite/Open event back in California at Salinas.

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But her effort in Berkely was her best of the season to date, topping the 71.41m in the pre-Commonwealths Stanford Invitational event warm-up event in Palo Alto, California.

The main focus of the season for the 26-year-old is the European Championships in Berlin in August.

She said earlier this year: “My main aim is the Europeans at the end of the year.

“The long term aim is the World Championships in Doha, which aren’t until October next year, then the year after that it’s the Olympics. But the Europeans is basically the World Championships.”