TOM Gale is hoping to get one last chance this weekend of reaching the qualifying standard for the European Indoor Championships next month, writes KEVIN FAHEY.

The 19-year-old Trowbridge international high jumper needs to clear 2.26m to be in contention for a place in the team when the selectors meet on Sunday to finalise their picks for the Glasgow event, which runs from March 1-3.

Gale had been hoping to get close to that target in the British Championships last weekend, having opened his season with an encouraging 2.23m last month but he ultimately came up short, clearing just 2.14m.

Nonetheless, that proved good enough to put Gale on the podium for the first time in a British Senior Championships as he secured the bronze medal, but his sights were set a lot higher so the medal was only a small consolation.

“The competition was so frustrating for me,” said Gale.

“While it was nice to win a medal, I know some of the tops guys were not there.

“Plus, on the day, I had a few technical problems with my run-up and I wasn’t feeling at my best. I was really on my last legs.

“I don’t like making excuses, but it was not the competition I wanted.”

Having jumped an indoor best of 2.23m this season, Gale was understandably confident of making a serious stab at the 2.26m qualifying standard.

But his problems started with a slight calf niggle suffered earlier this season, which meant he had to take a break from training and he then came down with a virus, which left him below-par.

With the tight configuration of the indoor arena at Birmingham also impacting on his run-up, Gale suffered one of those days when nothing really went his way.

“In training, I have been clearing better heights than that, so I know I am in great shape,” added Gale.

“We are hoping to get into a competition this week as I feel I am in shape to get 2.26m, but at the moment, nothing is definite, so we’ll have to wait and see.

“In the meantime, I just have to move on and not dwell too long on last weekend. It has gone now.”

In contrast, Staverton sprint hurdler Jenna Blundell could not have been more pleased with her debut in the national championships.

The 17-year-old former student at St Laurence School, Bradford on Avon, received an invite after some impressive performances this winter, and duly showed she can perform on the big stage with her fourth personal best this season with a time of 8.59secs.

That shaved 0.07secs off her previous best to lift her to joint second in the UK rankings for U20 woman and means she has improved by 0.12secs this winter.

“I am so happy with that performance,” said Blundell.

“I got the second quickest reaction time of any of the athletes in the heats, and in my heat, I was out of the blocks the quickest, which I did not expect at all.

“I then hit hurdle three with my trailing leg and that probably cost me, but overall, that was one of my favourite competitions ever – if not my favourite.”

The large crowd and live television coverage was a new experience for Blundell, and while she was one of the least experienced athletes in the event, she certainly did herself justice.

“I was the 10th quickest overall, so only just missed out of the final of eight, but I will have plenty of more years to come and it shows that I am on the right track with what I am doing,” added Blundell.

“And it was just such an awesome experience. I loved it.”