Rising star Eilidh Child has leapt to the defence of Scottish athletics – despite just three Scots taking part in the World Athletics Championships this week.

Child, 22, and adopted Scot Steph Twell were the only individual competitors to make the grade while veteran Lee McConnell is part of the 4x400m relay squad.

But despite the small number of Scots in Berlin, Child – who reached the semi-finals of the 400m hurdles – insists the future is bright.

“I think it’s a really good time for Scottish athletics at the moment and everything is shaping-up well for the Commonwealth Games,” she said.

“A lot of athletes are running Commonwealth qualifying times at the moment so it is really encouraging.

“I think the support is there and the infrastructure is in place to make sure that the young athletes are given the chance to move to the senior ranks and progress as far as they can.

“I think the time to judge how athletics in Scotland is going will be after next year’s Commonwealth Games when some of the athletes have matured a bit– only then will we have a clearer idea of how everything is progressing.”