BRADSHAW IS JUST GLAD TO BE OF SERVICE

HOLLY BRADSHAW told the athletes who snubbed the Athletics World Cup that they will regret it after delivering one of only two British victories on the opening night in London.

An under-strength Great Britain team felt the absences of Dina Asher-Smith, Laura Muir and top male sprinters as they fell to fifth in the standings in the two-day meet.

Aside from wins for Bradshaw in the pole vault and Lorraine Ugen in the long jump, they managed only a further four podiums from 17 disciplines, with the USA building an enormous 24-point lead from second-placed France and Poland in third going into the final 17 events today. Jamaica are fourth in the inaugural edition, which has been hit by indifference from star names across the eight competing nations.

Despite their absence, derived from gripes over the competition’s scheduling and lack of appearance money, the concept of a team showdown has major potential in a sport desperate for fresh ideas.

Bradshaw said: ‘There’s a bit of unknown — I’ve never done a meet like this before so I had to think whether to do this or do Monaco Diamond League instead. But I would 100 per cent do this again.

‘You forget how important it is to win a medal. I think people will regret missing the opportunity to do it and I really hope that it takes off.’

There were second-place finishes for Sophie Hitchon in the hammer and Meghan Beesley in the 400m hurdles. The biggest disappointment was 2018 world indoor champion Andy Pozzi, who hit the third barrier in the 110m hurdles and did not finish, while the 4x100m men’s relay team, which had none of the stars who won the world title last year, finished last.

Nick Miller is the leading hope for the team in the hammer today, while Morgan Lake is among the favourites for the women’s high jump.