Darcey on national podium

The versatile youngster’s medal success made her one standout Sarnian performer at the bustling meet in Sheffield, where Edie Dorrian also excelled with a Guernsey U15 record for 60m.

Hodgson ran a brisk 2min. 18.49sec. – over 1sec. faster than her outdoor best – despite her inexperience in racing middle-distance on the slower indoor track.

In a straight final, two athletes shot ahead at an ambitious pace as the Guernsey girl maintained metronomic splits and settled in the chase pack.

Hodgson surged into third with 250m left and while Blackheath and Bromley’s Megan Barlow won impressively by 3sec., the Sarnian produced a finishing burst to almost catch the early leader, Rotherham’s Layla Roden, on the line.

Coach Nick Marley claimed that Hodgson, a laid-back athlete, was ‘buzzing’ afterwards.

‘She was happy, that’s for sure, and for her it’s validation that the training’s good,’ he said.

‘She has proved she can compete at national level, so with a bit of luck, the confidence coming off the back of that will be something as well.’

Hodgson is far from a specialist half-miler, though, later showing her pace and technical ability by clocking 9.63 for a semi spot in the 60m hurdles.

A capable long-sprinter who has enough stamina to dominate her age group in local cross-country, her range continues to impress Marley.

‘She has got a wide range and who knows where she will eventually end up?

‘You would think 800m, but she’s got a lot more growing to do, so maybe long hurdles, but we are not pigeon-holing her yet.’

Another of Marley’s charges, Dorrian, made a real mark in her first ever indoor meet.

She shot out the blocks with a 8.24 to slice a good 0.11sec. off the Guernsey age group record set by Abi Galpin – now the island’s all-time 60m queen – seven years ago.

She backed it up with a 8.28 in her semi, proving that was no fluke.

‘The big thing with Edie is that she ran a quick time in the first one and she backed it up,’ Marley added.

‘She’s quite a late developer as well ... still very young, but it shows there’s potential yet and we know there’s talent there.’

Dorrian later ran a respectable 200m heat of 27.54.

U17 Isabelle Lowe was also debuting indoors and posted 26.99 for that distance, plus 43.12 for the 300m.

Unfortunately, disappointment struck the older 800m runners as Kate Bain failed a lateral flow test before travelling to the track, while Southern U20 bronze medallist Gian-Luca Robilliard could not continue his form and did not progress beyond his heat.