Melissa Courtney-Bryant Is The Birthday Girl With Victory In Gothenburg

Melissa Courtney-Bryant handed herself an early birthday present as she stormed to victory in the 1500m at the Gothenburg GP to continue her excellent start to the season.

Wales’ Commonwealth Games bronze medallist – 27 today (August 30) – triumphed in 4:05.07 from Jessica Hull (4:05.47) with Katie Snowdon setting a season’s best of 4:09.63 in third in Sweden.

Happy birthday to Commonwealth & European medallist and winner of yesterday's Gothenburg GP 1500m. Melissa Courtney-Bryant @AthleticsWeekly @poolepartners @mcourtneybryant @WelshAthletics @runbritain pic.twitter.com/E1pWzybF13

— Mark Shearman MBE (@AthleticsImages) August 30, 2020

Courtney-Bryant’s victory came just six days after she smashed her personal best for the distance at the Stockholm Diamond League meeting.

The Poole AC took more than a second-and-a-half off her previous best she set on the Gold Coast in 2018 with a new mark of 4.01.81 in Sweden as she finished third behind European silver medallist Laura Muir, who set a new world lead time of 3:57.86.

Courtney-Bryant is now less than two seconds away from adding the Welsh 1500m record to her 3,000m and 5,000m national bests.

https://twitter.com/WelshAthletics/status/1297550857995726848

The Welsh 1500m record stands to Hayley Tullett, who clocked 3.59.95 to take the bronze medal at the 2003 World Championships in Paris.

Courtney Bryant, who won the British indoor 3,000m title in Glasgow in February, has been in excellent form since athletics resumed having produced a front-running masterclass at the Paavo Nurmi Games in Finland to win in a time of 4:03.69 earlier in the month.