A SALE schoolgirl is following in her father's footsteps in scaling the heights in the world of athletics.

Fourteen-year-old Sophie Ashurst has won the English Schools Junior Girls pole vault - thirty-one years after her dad, Andy, won the gold medal at 1986 Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh.

Sophie is a pupil at Sale Grammar School and a member of Sale Harriers Manchester.

She took the pole vault title in Birmingham on her second appearance at English Schools, having come sixth as a 13-year-old.

Her previous best prior to last weekend was 3.45m set at Sportcity where she trains three times per week.

She improved the previous championship record of 3.35m by 20 cms. Her next target is the England U15 age group championships at the end of August.

Sophie is already vaulting 50 cms higher than her dad when he first competed in the English Schools Championship in 1979.