Joy for Richard Buck on return from injury (From Gazette & Herald)

Joy for Richard Buck on return from injury

3:43pm Wednesday 3rd February 2010

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RYEDALE athlete Richard Buck marked his long-awaited return to the track by helping Great Britain win the Aviva International match.

The fit-again 23-year-old former Pickering schoolboy competed for the first time in eight months and finished second in the 400 metres at Glasgow’s Kelvin Hall.

The 23-year-old one-lap specialist clocked 47.26 seconds on the indoor track, being pipped by America’s Jamaal Torrance, who came home in 47.19.

It was an encouraging opening effort by the City of York Athletics Club ace, who briefly stalked Torrance coming into the home straight but could not overhaul a half-yard gap.

Buck, who missed the majority of last year’s outdoor season with a hamstring injury, said his focus was now on the European outdoor campaign.

He has moved to Loughborough to take advantage of the training opportunities there, and admitted he had made some “hard decisions” in the off-season.

“Hopefully it will all pay off,” he said. “It was nice to get back out racing again. I have relocated to Loughborough with 2012 (the London Olympics) in mind.

“This indoor season was always a bit wobbly with all the changes coming in and my main focus is the European outdoors.

“I am looking to have as full an indoor season as possible.”

Buck is hoping to continue his indoor campaign at an open meeting in Stuttgart this weekend.

The points he won by finishing as runner-up in Glasgow helped Britain to win the event, with captain Jessica Ennis lifting the trophy.

Ennis admitted she felt she was in a “dream world” after playing a starring role on the track, confirming her fine form as she prepares for March’s World Indoor Championships pentathlon by setting a British record in the 60 metres hurdles and then achieving a high jump lifetime best.

She made light of the burden of captaining the home side to victory in the annual match against Germany, Sweden, the United States and a Commonwealth Select side. Five individual victories saw the British team narrowly beat the USA for overall triumph.

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