FORMER Commonwealth Games swimming star Helen Watts is quickly making her mark on the track as an 800-metre runner. Watts, a multi-Island Games gold medallist in the pool and one of the 10 original ‘hall of fame’ picks, beat the island’s two leading distance runners over two laps at Foote’s Lane in a big personal best.

Watts clocked 2-24.6 and held off a strong-finishing Louise Perrio and is already making an impression on the island’s new athletics development officer.

Lee Merrien, who has taken Watts under his wing after she impressed in the Healthspan Cross-Sport Challenge at the end of May, has in a few weeks already taken 14 seconds off her best.

‘Helen is a very naturally-gifted athlete – that’s obvious from her background – and if her rate of improvement over the first six weeks of training is anything to go on, she could do good things in athletics,’ said Merrien.

Meanwhile, in a good-quality men’s race over the same distance, Tom Druce clocked

1-56. 3 and also pulled Tim Coates through to a sub-two-minute time in unfavourable conditions.

Matt Loveridge took third with 2-03.8 and there were encouraging runs from Ronan Shally (2-06.3) and 15-year-old Dougie Edwards (2-08.9).

The B race was won by another under-17, Simon Touzeau, with a big PB of 2-13.9.