A HALTON athlete got an early birthday present on Saturday when he carried off a sprint gold medal in the European Championships.

Allyn Condon, of Chester Close, Castlefields, revved up for his 24th birthday on Monday by winning a 4 x 100 relay medal in Budapest at the weekend.

Allyn ran the first leg for Great Britain, helping the team to a convincing victory in what was a glorious week for British sprinting.

He said of the race: "It was great. Obviously it was relay rather than individual and it's a different buzz in the relay, but it is still a massive achievement."

"On the first leg you've got to start well and run a good bend. A lot of the lads wouldn't run a first leg and after the heats, I thought I would be in the team because I didn't make any mistakes," said Allyn.

A busy month beckons for Allyn who heads out to Brussels this Friday for a grand prix meeting at the Heysel Stadium.

Then it's off to South Africa to compete in the World Cup 200 metres - his favoured distance.

"Hopefully I'll get to the final, it would be nice to win a medal," he said.

Then September sees him in Kuala Lumpur at the Commonwealth Games.

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