Melissa Courtney powered to victory at the Westminster Mile to continue her stunning start to the season.

The Welsh middle-distance star took the tape on Spur Road on four minutes 35 seconds in a race which also incorporated the British Championships.

Courtney saw off training partners Sarah McDonald and Rosie Clarke who clocked 4:36 and 4:38 respectively.

The 24-year-old added a first British title to the 1500m bronze she won at the Commonwealth Games in Australia in April.

Courtney has since been on a training camp in South Africa to prepare for the coming track season with the European Championships in Berlin in August the target.

The Poole-born runner said after her London win: “It’s going really well this year.

“Being a Commonwealth medallist has raised my expectations and to win my first title in this fantastic race really sets me up for the outdoor season.”

More than 8,000 runners finished the Vitality Westminster Mile making the world’s greatest festival of mile running officially the biggest ever timed mile event in the world.

A total of 8,048 runners in 39 waves completed the picturesque course around St James’s Park to cross the Finish Line in front of Buckingham Palace, smashing the previous record of 7,664 set at the New York Fifth Avenue Mile last year.

The world record finish was a fitting tribute to Sir Roger Bannister, the most famous mile runner of them all, who died in March this year aged 88, nearly 62 years after breaking the iconic four-minute barrier for the first time.

Bannister’s name now adorns the British senior men’s mile trophy won for the second time by Chris O’Hare, who sprinted clear of Charlie Grice and Jake Wightman off the final bend to claim victory in 4:04.