COMMONWEALTH champion Louise Hazel finished 15th in the heptathlon of the World Athletics Championships - coming within 17 points of her personal best.

The March athlete, who was given the freedom of the town after her remarkable gold in New Delhi last year, finished with 6,149 points in Daegu, South Korea.

The 25-year-old looked in fantastic form as she notched two personal bests in her first two events this week - recording 13.24secs in the 100m hurdles before clearing 1.74m in the high jump.

A season’s best of 12.36m in the shot putt was followed by a stunning 200m run, which saw her claim victory in her heat with a time of 24.25secs.

Hazel recorded 6.25m in the long jump before slipping to the 16th place with a throw of 41.75m in the javelin.

But another strong run in the 800m saw the Birchfield Harrier climb back up into the world’s top 15 heptathletes - with British teammate Jessica Ennis claiming silver.

After the competition, Hazel wrote on her Facebook page: “Thank you everyone for all of your support. Great two days - long, hot but well worth it.

“Just shy of my personal best, really pleased with overall performance.”

Fans had been leaving messages of support on the page throughout the week. One said: “Well done Louise. I could see how hard you were trying on TV. You and Miss Ennis are a credit to the nation.”