Claire Smithson warmed up for this weekend's Commonwealth Games trials in perfect style at the AAA Under-23 Championships on Sunday.

Smithson improved her previous personal best in the discus of 55.03m, which she set at the 2002 Games in Manchester, with a throw of 55.58m at Bedford.

That was not all the Brighton and Hove City athlete had to smile about either as her effort also broke the championship record and sealed her place in the Great Britain squad for the European Under-23 Championships.

It completed a clean sweep of AAA age group titles for the 22-year-old who had previously won gold at under-15, under-17 and under-20 level.

Now she hopes to build on that success when she returns to the City of Manchester Stadium on Sunday for the senior AAA Championships where a place in the Great Britain team for the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne next March will be up for grabs.

Smithson, who was seventh in the 2002 Commonwealth Games at the age of just 19, said: "It was a brilliant confidence booster ahead of the trials next weekend.

"My aim was to set a new personal best and to qualifying for the European Championships so to achieve both and set a championship record as well was very pleasing.

"It was difficult because there were only four athletes in the competition and the second placed girl was about 13 metres behind me so I really had no one pushing me.

"But I had been throwing well in training before the championships and but for a little thigh injury I might even have managed to break 56m."

Smithson had already gone close to achieving the European Under-23 Championships qualifying distance of 55m with two throws of 54.96m early in her series before finally booking her place on the plane to Erfurt in Germany a week on Friday.

She now sits second in the England rankings going into the Commonwealth trials next weekend where another victory will secure her spot in the team for Melbourne.

"I know am going to have to throw even better in Manchester to stand a chance," said Smithson. "It will be pretty nerve-racking as so much is at stake but hopefully I can rise to the ocassion.

"If I don't finish as the top English thrower this weekend to earn an automatic place I will have to wait until September to find out whether I am in the team. Waiting that long would be horrible so hopefully I can avoid that."

Simon Cooke, of Chichester Runners, made it a Sussex double in the discus as he won the men's gold with a throw of 49.64m in his first year at under-23 level while Crawley's Josh Lamb claimed the bronze with 48.74m. Lamb narrowly missed out on a second medal when he was fourth in the shot with a throw of 14.14m.

Despite spending a week training with Kelly Holmes in Spain in the build up to the championships Charlotte Best had to settle for a bronze medal in the 800m.

After cruising through in second place in her heat the Crawley athlete was overtaken entering the home straight in the final as she finished third in 2min.04.99sec - just outside her season's best.

It means Best is now sweating to see whether she has done enough to claim the third and final place in the Great Britain squad for the European Championships when the team is announced next Monday.

Father and coach Mark said: "Although the aim was to make the squad we can't be too disappointed as it was her third fastest time ever.

"She is still coming back from the burst appendix she suffered last year and is getting stronger all the time."

Matt Barclay, of Crawley, made it through to the final of the 100m where he finished eighth in 22.28sec. Crawley's Joel Clewett was fifth in the 3,000m steeplechase in 10min.07.29sec while Hailsham Harrier's Ben Warren was ninth in his heat of the 1,500m in 4min.02.14sec.