Eden Francis won the shot putt at the Aviva World Indoor Trials and UK Championships on Saturday - much to her surprise.

The 23-year-old Leicester athlete had surgery on a knee injury in September.

She competed for the first time in 2012 at Loughborough last month but was eyeing a return to top-flight competition in the summer.

Saturday's trip to Sheffield for the World Indoor Championships trials was her biggest test yet, though, and she passed with flying colours, taking gold in a stadium record of 16.72 metres.

That was comfortably the best of a nine-strong field including heptathletes Jess Ennis and Louise Hazel, with Shaunagh Brown taking silver with 15.77m and Eleanor Gatrell bronze.

Francis recorded a personal best of 16.92m in Austria at the start of the month but, having struggled with injuries, she could not quite believe what happened in Sheffield.

"The past few seasons have been blighted by injuries and this winter has been the first time in about three years that I have had a solid winter's training behind me and it's really paying off," said Francis.

"I have had several injuries – torn abductor, torn wrist ligament, the lot – and I didn't think I'd be ready to compete indoors because I also had a knee operation in September.

"I thought I'd just be ready for outdoors, so to come out so quickly and come first in the Indoor UK Championships is really good.

"I wasn't aware the record was within my reach and to have done it is really pleasing. My personal best is 16.92m from the other week so I'm in good form.

"I don't think I'm going to do the world indoors. I'm going for the discus and the shot this summer, the Olympic qualification marks for both are well within my reach, I just need to keep improving."

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