Oxford City athlete Hannah England has been called up to compete in the 1500m for Great Britain & Northern Ireland at the Spar European Team Championships in Portugal next weekend.

It follows her outstanding performance at the FBK Games in Hengelo at the start of this month when she set a new personal best of 4.05.87.

The 22-year-old, who will be racing over 800m in Watford today, said: “I am excited to be doing a different type of competition as it's important to compete in tactical races as well as fast-paced races.

“It's an honour to represent the Aviva GB Team and I am looking forward to competing well for my country."

The championships take place in Leiria, Portugal, on June 20-21, replacing the European Cup, with the top 12 nations in Europe competing in the Super League match in a joint men’s and women’s team competition.

England’s selection drew praise from double Olympic gold medallist Dame Kelly Holmes, who is the mentor of the ‘On Camp with Kelly’ scheme which is helping in the development of the country’s best female athletes.

Holmes said: “I would like to congratulate Hannah and her coach Bud Baldaro on her selection for the Aviva GB Team for the European Team Championships.

“One of the main aims of ‘On Camp with Kelly’ is to assist the athletes to have successful senior careers and it is great to see Hannah moving through from the junior ranks and establishing herself as a senior athlete.

“Competing at the European Team Championships will be a great experience for her and I am sure that she will perform well and learn a lot.”

England (pictured right), who is studying biochemistry at Birmingham University, has had a great 2009.

After improving her indoor bests for the 1500m and mile in Ghent, Belgium, on February 8, she took the silver medal in the 1500m at the Aviva European Trials and UK Championships.

She then improved her indoor best again to 4.09.90 when finishing third at the Aviva Grand Prix in Birmingham on February 21.

In her first outdoor 1500m race of the season she improved her pb to 4.05.87, an A qualifying standard for the World Championships, at the IAAF Grand Prix meeting in Hengelo on June 1.

England ran a steady race and finished strongly to take seventh place.

A delighted England said: “The race went just as I hoped it would and I am really pleased with the way I ran and to achieve the A standard for the World Championships.”