KELLY SOTHERTON piled the pressure on British long jumper Jade Johnson yesterday.
Competing in the international meeting in Gateshead, the Isle-of-Wight born Sotherton finished fourth with a leap of 6.64m.
It was four centimetres down on her pb she produced in the European Cup the previous weekend.
But it was still 24 centimetres better than Johnson, Britain's long-established long jump No 1, managed in finishing sixth yesterday.
And that puts Sotherton in line to pip Johnson for the sole long jump spot on offer in the GB Olympic team.
At present both jumpers have the B standard for qualification, under which Britain can send just one athlete to Athens.
The only circumstances where both could travel to the Games would be if both cleared the A standard of 6.70m.
If only one of the two was to achieve that A standard then they would effectively end the Olympic chances of the other.
Sotherton finished above two of the Syndey Games long jump medallists in the north east - Fiona May and Heike Dreschler.
She also competed in the 100m hurdles.
RESULTS:
Long Jump: 1 Tatyana Lebedeva (Rus) 6.87m, 2 Marion Jones (USA) 6.77, 3 Tatyana Kotova (Rus) 6.64, 4 Kelly Sotherton (Gbr) 6.64, 5 Fiona May (Ita) 6.60, 6 Jade Johnson (Gbr) 6.40, 7 Heike Drechsler (Ger) 6.29, 8 Denise Lewis (Gbr) 6.14
100m Hurdles: 1 Glory Alozie (Spa) 12.57, 2 Olena Krasovska (Ukr) 12.74, 3 Jenny Adams (Usa) 12.77, 4 Aurelia Trywianska (Pol) 12.85, 5 Jenny Kallur (Swe) 12.96, 6 Angela Atede (Ngr) 13.03, 7 Rachel King (Gbr) 13.18, 8 Kelly Sotherton (Gbr) 13.32
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