ENGLAND’S Daryll Neita declared today that she is ready to challenge Elaine Thompson-Herah for Commonwealth Games gold.

The 25-year-old clocked 11.02 seconds to win her 100m heat at Birminham’s Alexander Stadium today.

She reached tomorrow’s semi-final ahead of an expected final showdown with the Jamaican reigning Olympic 100m champion.

With Dina Asher-Smith out after suffering a hamstring injury at last month’s World Championships, the home spotlight is on Neita, who is primed to challenge for top spot.

“I’m always aiming for gold. Any time I step on the track I want gold. I’m going to get as close as I can,” said last year’s 100m Olympic finalist.

“It was nice to come out after what’s been a long week of travel and readjusting to the UK. It’s nice to win the heat and get ready for the final tomorrow.”

Scotland’s Laura Muir, who won 1,500m bronze in Eugene last month, also reached her 800m final in 1.58.84, joining Keely Hodgkinson and Alexandra Bell in Saturday’s showpiece.

She said: “I headed home [from the Worlds] straight after the fina,l more or less. I was lucky my race was at the start of the programme so I had a bit of time to get over it.

“My training has been really good since I got home and if anything I think I’m just going to be getting fitter. I just hope by the weekend I’ll be in a good place to get on that podium.

“I feel I’m really competitive in both events. I’ve not run the Commonwealth Games for eight years. It’s on relatively home-ish ground so it’s very close, and it was too good an opportunity not to do. I feel strong and fit enough to do both and run well in both [the 800m and 1500m].”

Defending heptathlon champion Katarina Johnson-Thompson sat first after today’s opening morning, just 17 points ahead of Australia’s Taneille Crase and 32 clear of England team-mate Holly Mills.

The 26-year-old, who won in the Gold Coast four years ago, is coming off the back of finishing eighth in the heptathlon at the World Championships, losing the title she won in 2019 to Olympic champion Nafi Thiam.

She was fifth in 13.83 seconds in the opening heat of the 100m hurdles with Mills second in 13.52 and England team-mate Jade O’Dowda third, before clearing 1.84m in the high jump.