New British champion Ojie Edoburun revealed his emotion after his surprise 100m victory sent him to the World Championships.
Sprinter Edoburun won at the British Championships in Birmingham on Saturday to book his spot in Great Britain’s squad for next month’s World Championships in Doha.
He qualified alongside Adam Gemili, who finished second, as European champion Zharnel Hughes came third.
“To have a tough mental head is something that has taken me four years to figure out what works for me.
“I am still young. I kept saying the first year I got a medal here I was 19 and I haven’t got a medal since – and that goes to show the naivety you have when you are young sometimes pays off. It has taken me four years to figure things out.”
?All 3️⃣ medallists separated by just a thousandth of a second in the men’s 100 but it’s @ojie_edoburun who your new @MullerUKandI British Champion!@Adam_Gemili in 2nd joins him in on the flight to Doha ?
?Ojie Edoburun – 10.18?Adam Gemili – 10.18?Zharnel Hughes -10.18 pic.twitter.com/qFdrYEgDcg
— British Athletics (@BritAthletics) August 24, 2019
The championships acted as trials for the British team to reach Qatar.
Hughes will almost certainly be given the selectors’ discretionary pick after missing the top two and the result means Reece Prescod will not go to Doha.
Prescod, who reached the 100m final in 2017 and came second at last year’s European Championships, sat out the trials as he continues to battle a hamstring injury.
Hughes, who runs in the 200m on Sunday, added: “It was a terrible race, I’m not happy with that but I made the team, I’m in the top three.
Triple European champion Dina Asher-Smith set a new championship record of 10.96 seconds after winning the 100m ahead of Asha Philip.
“I am happy first and foremost to get the business done and qualify for the World Championships,” said Asher-Smith, who will run the 100m and 200m in Doha.
“I have been talking about it all year but there is no point talking about it unless you have qualified. I am really happy.
“That’s always the plan, to mimic the World Championships, so that’s exactly what I was doing.”
The 23-year-old’s record came after confusion when the trackside clock stopped at 11.03 seconds before the official time was finalised.
She added: “Yeah, 11.03 to 10.96 – that’s quite a big drop isn’t it? Normally it’s a couple of hundredths – to go from 11.03 to 10.96 is quite a big drop but I’m not complaining.”
She is fine-tuning her events ahead of Doha and competes in the javelin on Sunday having come second in the long jump, behind heptathlon rival Nafi Thiam, at last week’s Diamond League meet in Birmingham.
She said: “I’m disappointed with the hurdles, but obviously the wind didn’t help. I think I just needed those two races under my belt.”
