A slow reaction in the starting blocks robbed Colchester’s Olufunmi Sobodu of the chance of setting the European Junior Athletics Championships standard qualifying time ahead of the Great Britain team trials this weekend.

The 19-year-old from Ipswich Road was hoping to run under the 10.55 seconds British team qualifying time when competing in the 100 metres final at the South of England Under-20 Championships at Watford, but could only manage 10.69s for second place after he was slow out of the blocks.

Sobodu, who started the day ranked second in this year’s UK listings at under-20 level, had earlier equalled his season’s best time of 10.65s in the semi-final and felt he had the qualifying time within his grasp.

However, his slow start left him with too much work to do to close down rival Max Galliers, who won in 10.53s.

Sobodu said: “It went OK, but it could have gone better.

“I came first in my heat with 10.75 seconds and first in my semi-final with 10.65, but I came second in the final.

“I got left in the blocks and I tried to catch up the leader, but it meant I was straining myself and not running in a relaxed way for my own race.

“It was frustrating beacuse the qualifying time was definitely there and if I had had the start I wanted, I would have been right up there next to Max.

“My reaction was not there, but I did well in the drive phase of the race.

“There was a false start the first time and I just reacted a bit late the second time, but normally that is the best part of my race and I’m not used to having to chase people down.

“I did make up ground so that was pleasing, but just not enough.

“There were things to take encouragement from as I ran 10.65 seconds in the semi-final before easing up to save something for the final, I beat my other rivals, Jordan (Huggins) and Eugene (Ayanful), and ran 10.69 seconds after a bad start, so there were still positives to take and I know I can go faster.”

The former Philip Morant School student is now targeting the European Junior Championship trials, which are incorporated into the under-23 and under-20 national championships at Bedford, this weekend when he is hoping to impress the British selectors.

He needs a top three finish to seal a place and feels that he will have to run the qualifying time anyway to do that, so will not get too caught up in looking solely at his times.

“I know that I can run the time now, but I just have to forget the time and push for the top three,” he added.

“To do that I will have to run a quick time anyway so I will let the time take care of itself.

“The team selection is not for another two weeks after the trials as well, so if I get in the top three, I will have a couple of weeks to prove I can make the time.

“The top three is the important thing.”