Teenage student Steph Twell will be the second youngest of Britain's 68 track and field competitors at this summer's Beijing Olympics.

The 18-year-old, who attends St Mary's in Twickenham, convinced the selectors to give her a place by finishing eighth in a world-class 1,500m field at the IAAF Golden League meeting in Paris last Friday.

Fresh from winning the world junior 1,500m title in Poland, Twell clocked 4:05.83 in the French capital to move to the top of this summer's UK rankings for the event.

Twell was among 20 additions to the track and field team announced by the British Olympic Association on Saturday.

"Finding out I have been named in the Olympic team is a moment I will cherish all my life," said Twell.

The only athlete younger than Twell is 17-year-old Ashlee Nelson from Stoke.

Joining Twell in the 1,500m is Twickenham-based Susan Scott who has taken two seconds off her 1,500m personal best time this summer.

Scott, 30, who finished runner-up in the Olympic trials in Birmingham, clocked 4:07.00 at an international in France at the end of last month.

Like Twell, she was also a winner at last month's St Mary's Classic in Twickenham, taking the women's 800m.

"I want to be able to go as far as possible in the competition, not be overwhelmed by it and learn from the experience.

"I don't want anyone to think this is a whirlwind - this has been part of the gradual progression made year on year with my coach Mick Woods."

Other local athletes in the squad for Beijing are Twickenham-based Mo Farah (5,000m) and his neighbour Kate Reed (women's 5,000m), St Mary's lecturer Andy Baddeley (1,500m), ex-Richmond resident Mara Yamauchi (women's marathon), John Fisher School old boy Martyn Rooney (400m and 4x400m relay) and Sutton-based pair Andy Turner (110m hurdles) and Harry Aikines-Aryeetey (4x100m relay).

Despite winning the 100m at the Olympic trials in Birmingham, which would normally have guaranteed him automatic selection for Beijing, Belgrave Harriers' Dwain Chambers failed in his High Court bid to win a place.

The court upheld a British Olympic Association by-law banning athletes who have served a drugs ban from representing GB in the Olympics.