Olufunmi Sobodu made a bold statement to the selectors for Britain's World Junior Championship squad with a strong showing in the 100 metres at the Bedford International meeting.
The 18-year-old Philip Morant student was facing his closest rivals for places in the British squad, which will travel to the championships in Poland next month, and demonstrated his good early-season form by taking first place in a season's best time of 10.62 seconds.
It was the joint-second fastest time set by an under-20 runner in the sprint event this year, which wasn't wind-assisted, and moved Sobodu, who lives in Ipswich Road, closer to his aim of running a 10.5s World Junior Championships qualifying time.
The Blackheath and Bromley Harriers' win at Bedford followed a run of 10.89s in his opening event of the season at Pavia in Italy last month after he was forced to pull out of the Loughborough International two weeks ago due to hamstring problems.
That niggle also kept him out of the Inter-Counties Championships, at Bedford, last week. However, he now feels he is raring to go and in the type of form that could see him beat his current personal best of 10.49s this year.
He said: "I ran in a field of all of my rivals for this year (at Bedford), James Alaka, Richard Kilty, Eugeene Ayansful and Antonio Infantino, and I came out victorous with a time of 10.62 into a -1.0 metres-per-second headwind for my second race of the year.
"I was unable to run at the Loughbrough International and the senior men's intercounties last week because I have been having hamstring niggles that have prevented me from training and running.
"I finally look to be in good form, though, and with the right condtions a 10.50 second world qualifying time definitely seems in reach and maybe even a new personal best with the aim of hitting the 10.3-second barrier."
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