Head-turner Steph Pywell is officially one of England’s most beautiful women.

Now, the leggy Sale Harriers Manchester star aims to become one of the Commonwealth’s best high jumpers.

Indeed, Pywell hopes to go a few places better than her recent appearance in Miss England.

She finished seventh in the pageant, having previously won the Miss Newark and District competition.

But fellow track and field stars looking for a date in Delhi with the former model will be disappointed.

Pywell, one of 17 athletes representing Sale in India, marries England team-mate David Hughes in November.

Before then she hopes to build on the most successful year of her athletics career to date.

She won the Aviva European Trials and UK Championships in June having cleared a lifetime best of 1.90 metres earlier in the year.

“I am raring to go now that I have got the Miss England final out of the way,” she said. “Even though I had that to do and it meant I had to take a few days off from training, my preparation has still been good.

“Miss England was really fun and I won the sportswoman award so it was very successful too.

“I loved every minute of it and everyone thinks it is all very bitchy, but it is not.

“But my heart is definitely with athletics.

“I might do some modelling to bring in some money but that is just to make it better for me on the athletics side of things.”

Had Pywell been crowned Miss England it would have left her with a major dilemma. With winner Jessica Linley going

forward to Miss World in China later this year it would have been difficult for her to concentrate fully on athletics.

Pywell is the second glamour girl to represent Sale at a major Games. Fellow high jumper Julie Crane was a one-time hosiery model and was renowned for having the longest legs in track and field. But she put them to good use four years ago, winning a Commonwealth silver medal in Melbourne.

Like Crane, Pywell has had to battle back from serious injury problems. She suffered stress fractures in her back and was warned she might not be able to compete seriously again.

“As an athlete I think you are always asking for more and more and I am no different,” she said. “So, I want to improve at the Commonwealth Games.

“I was absolutely gutted last year because I had to take a year out and I never thought I would be back.

“But my surgeon told me he would get me to the Commonwealth Games and I thought ‘Are you mad– I can hardly walk!’

“But now look at me. So this is all very personal to me and I am going to give my all to make sure I can make up for the lost time.” Tweet