Newbury hammer star, Charlotte Payne, smashes qualifying standard for the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games

Charlotte Payne smashed the Commonwealth Games qualifying standard in the hammer at the UK Winter Long Throws competition, at Loughborough.

Still a teenager, Newbury star Payne was the youngest in the competition by almost five years.

Despite it being so early in the athletics season, she made her mark with a throw of 66.74m – well over the qualifying standard of 65m.

Payne continued to throw the standard three times across the competition, placing her third best ever in the UK at under-23 level.

Although Payne chooses not to participate in deaf sport, she is profoundly deaf and is able to compete in the deaf classification if she wishes.

Her 66.74m throw is a World Deaf record, which at the age of 19, is a massive achievement.

Her performance also led to her selection to represent Great Britain at the European Winter Throws Cup in Leiria, Portugal, this weekend.

Once again, she is the youngest on this team, proving her strength competing with seniors.

Coached by Paul Dickenson, she is one of 12 athletes selected to travel to the annual event, aiming for qualification marks for this summer’s World and European Championships.

Team leader Shaun Pickering said: “It is an opportunity for athletes to test themselves against competitive European fields.

“It also serves as a stepping stone to help those developing athletes to bridge the gap to world-class senior level and qualify for future championships.”