William Sharman’s Olympics dreams are all but over after he finished a distant fourth in a highly-competitive 110m hurdles final at the Aviva 2012 Trials in Birmingham.
Sharman, from Corby, has finished fifth and fourth in the last two World Championship finals but knew that past performances would count for nothing in Olympic year.
Rising stars Andy Pozzi and Lawrence Clarke have both surged through the ranks at his expense this year and he needed to run quick and finish in the top two to guarantee an Olympic debut.
But he struggled out of the blocks and was never in contention, Pozzi and Clarke, training partners and good friends, crossing the line in the automatic selection places, having, unlike Sharman, clocked the London 2012 A standard.
Sharman could technically still get the nod for the third discretionary place on the team but that appears certain to go to Andy Turner.
The European champion and bronze medallist at last year’s World Championship, Turner is a proven performer and his season has been disrupted by injuries.
“It’s a tough call for the selectors but I believe that I’m the right man for them to select,” said Turner. “Obviously I didn’t come here for third place; I hope that was enough to qualify for the team.
“I’ve got work to do, I’m not in the best shape I’ve been but I feel like I’m being more competitive. I felt good in the first half of the race and then I hit a hurdle and the both of them came through.
“I know I’ve got something in me but it’s no good having something inside you if you can’t put it out there. I’ve got work to do but I hope that’s enough. It’s between me and Will, I suppose, but only the selectors can make the decision.”
Sharman though was in no mood to discuss his claims – crossing the line and leaving the track by the nearest available exit, dodging microphones and cameras to prove his fleet of foot has not deserted him.
But Sharman wasn’t the only Northamptonshire athlete to leave Birmingham disappointed after sprinter Deji Tobais failed to reach the 100m and 200m finals.
And despite being only 20 Tobais wasn’t about to sit back and accept it as a learning experience, with Adam Gemili – two years younger than him – now packing his bags for London 2012 after picking up 100m silver.
“The trials was so disappointing,” he said. “I didn’t execute my 100m semi-final in the way I did in the heats so that hurt and then in the 200m it was a similar story.
“Before the trials my aim was to try and get an Olympic relay spot in the 100m but with my performance I don’t know what’s going to happen, I doubt it will be enough. I was hoping to rectify things with the 200m, so not doing well in that hasn’t helped.
“You can always say it’s good to against the big guys and I’m only 20 so I am a bit younger than most of them but then there’s younger guys like Adam Gemili coming through so it’s not like I can just be happy to be racing alongside these guys and not perform.”
Aviva has been backing the GB & NI Team since 1999. Now it’s your turn. #BackTheTeam on Twitter or search for ‘Aviva Athletics’ on Facebook