Sport in brief

Athletics Hammer hopeful Chris Bennett believes he’s got more in the tank after smashing his personal best to win the Hammerwurf meeting in Germany, writes Mark Woods.

The 26-year-old Glaswegian landed a qualifying mark for the European Championships with an effort of 75.46 metres – with Commonwealth medallist Mark Dry down in fifth. “I thought that was the least I’d get,” said Bennett. “I feel good for more. Now to chase down the Rio 2016 standard.”

Elsewhere, Olympic prospect Jake Wightman won the 1500m at the Trafford Grand Prix in 3:40.88, just outside the European Championships standard while Edinburgh AC clubmate Josh Kerr was victorious at the same distance at the Mountain West Championships in California with the European junior champion running 3:50.89. Scottish pole vault record holder Jax Thoirs won his third consecutive Pac-12 Conference title in Seattle but remains short of the Rio qualifying mark.

Stateside-based Nethaneel MitchellBlake, 22, produced the secondquickest 200 metres ever by a Briton in winning the SEC Championship in Alabama in 19.95 seconds. Canoeing Fiona Pennie helped the British team to a second team gold at the European Championships in Slovakia yesterday after linking up with Lizzie Neave and Kimberley Woods to top the K1 rankings, writes Mark Woods. The Olympic-bound Scot exited the individual event in the semifinals in a lowly 18th but picked up a consolation prize to boost her Rio hopes. It matched Perthshire prospect Eilidh Gibson who joined up with Woods and Mallory Franklin to land C1 team gold – after the Edinburgh University student was edged out of the medals into fourth by Franklin in the individual event.

World champion David Florence picked up team bronze in the C1 but the Olympic silver medallist’s miserable championships was completed when he and team-mate Richard Hounslow suffered a shock exit in 17th place in the semi-finals of the C2 following a penalty-filled run, 24 hours after he slumped to 15th in the solo C1. SNOOKER Aberdeen amateur Marc Davis edged closer to a two-year pro tour card after surviving another final-frame shoot-out to win his fourth straight match at Qualifying School in Burton on Trent yesterday,

Davis beat Joe O’Connor 4-3 in round three on Saturday and yesterday came from 3-2 down to pip Malta’s Brian Cini in the deciding frame. The Scot faces Craig Steadman next.