Shona Richards says she is mentally strong enough to face the hurdles again after a horror crash left her fearing the barriers.

The 19-year-old from Ewell Village runs in the U23 European Championships in Estonia this weekend in the 400m hurdles after winning the English U20/U23 Championships in Bedford last month.

Richards is excited by the prospect of racing against the best on the continent, and as the fourth fastest British woman of all time over the distance, she has every chance.

However, it could have been a different story after Richards broke her collar bone during a training session in May.

“I went into a hurdle and knocked myself out, and when I woke up I had a broken collarbone,” she said.

“So after all I’ve been through this season, just getting to the Euros is a great achievement for me.

“It took some time to get back into the rhythm of things and get my confidence back going over the hurdles.

“I was a little hesitant going over them, but I’ve had great support from my family and trainers, and winning the Nationals was a huge confidence boost.”

She added: “Now I am really attacking the hurdles again, so hopefully I can come back from Estonia with a medal of some sort.”

Richards goes in the heats tomorrow [Friday].