JADE Jones might be in her first senior event at the IPC World Championships but the Middlesbrough ace has proved she belongs with the older heads after qualifying for today’s T54 800m final.

Originally listed as a straight final, 15-year-old Jones was forced to try and qualify for the showpiece, with nine competitors arriving and only eight being able to compete for medals.

But the New Markse Harrier brushed off any nerves and recorded a time of 1:59.92minutes – good enough to secure the eighth and final spot.

Although her time in New Zealand was more than two seconds off her personal best – set in Switzerland in June – there was no hiding the delight of Jones in reaching the final despite the anxious wait.

“I am really pleased to be in the final,” she said. “It was a good race, but I am here for experience and I am just glad to have made the team.

“You always want to do well, and I did think at one point that I hadn’t done enough to get into the final.

“When I crossed the line I thought I wasn’t going to get in for sure but then I watched the next race and it came up that I had made it through.

“It was put down as a straight final at first but there were nine people listed as entered and there are only eight lanes so that meant there had to be heats and finals.

“But thankfully I did enough to qualify for the final and now I can’t wait to see what happens there.”

Jones headed to New Zealand off the back of a six-medal haul at the IWAS Junior Championships in August – five golds and one silver.

And although she faces a tough task to medal in the 800m final, the Ormesby Comprehensive School pupil can consider it mission accomplished with lessons already learnt in her first outing in the senior Aviva GB&NI vest.

“It does just go to show that every race is different and it depends what heat you are in and depends how big the pack is in that heat and how close together everyone is,” she added.

“You want to get in behind them but it also depends on the tactics too, sometimes they can just be outright really quick with no tactics. It is all a learning experience for me and I feel as though I have learnt something already.”

Meanwhile, Hazel Robson put her disappointment at failing to medal in the 200m at the IPC World Athletics Championships to one side, helping Britain win 4x100m relay bronze.

:: AVIVA has been supporting British athletes since 1999. To find out more about Aviva’s athletics sponsorship, go to www.aviva.co.uk/athletics