Buck collected a silver medal in the relay at the European Championships

City of York athlete Richard Buck says he hopes his Commonwealth Games selection for England will prove his major championship breakthrough.

Buck, 23, will compete in both the individual 400m and the 4x400m relay events in Delhi in October.

He told BBC Radio York: "I wasn't confident at all of selection. I made it known I would only be going if I could run the individual as well.

"I'm still really looking for a great championship to break through."

Buck has struggled for consistency throughout 2010 and he was not selected for the individual 400m event at the European Championships in Barcelona this summer, although he collected a silver medal after running in the heats for the relay team.

However with European medallists Michael Bingham and Martyn Rooney declaring themselves unavailable for Delhi, Buck was called into the squad.

"The last spot was kind of a run-off between me and Graham Hedman, who has run quicker in the year but on head-to-head battles I've beaten him more than he's beaten me," Buck said.

The former UK indoor 400m champion has had to amend his indoor winter training schedule but the experience of the championships in Delhi was one not to be missed.

He said: "I'm excited about it. It's given me something to really focus my training on in the next six weeks.

"It's a really great opportunity and I'm hoping I can really make the most of it.

"The chance to run the individual event at a major outdoor event like the Commonwealth Games is just one I couldn't turn down.

"The experience that I will gain from doing that with a view to London 2012 is just fantastic so if I have to sacrifice my indoor speciality a little bit to really make sure I'm highly competitive outdoors, it's worth it for me."

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