Jack Lawrie may have left Bedford with his first junior English title at the weekend, but the Fife hurdler Jack Lawrie revealed there is still plenty more to come as he chases qualification for this summer’s European Junior Championships.
The 19-year-old was in fine form at the England Under-20 Championships, setting a new personal best of 51.84 seconds to win 400m hurdles gold.
That time was just 0.04 seconds outside the required standard to make the British team for next month’s European Junior Championships in Eskilstuna, Sweden, although the former Beath High School pupil is confident he can close the gap.
He has until July 5 to make the time, with this weekend’s Mannheim International in Germany the latest opportunity.
And buoyed by finishing fourth on his first appearance in a British vest at May’s Loughborough International, and being picked to represent Britain in Mannheim, Lawrie insists it is a case of when and not if he makes the time.
“I was really pleased with my performance in Bedford, it was my first British title,” said Lawrie, who runs for Woodford Green Athletics Club and Pitreavie AAC.
“It’s also nice to know I am in the ball park when it comes to the European qualification time, it gives me a lot of confidence.
“I did not feel that great at the start but I changed my stride up a bit and was able to finish strongly. It was not a perfect race though, the conditions were a bit windy so hopefully I can run the time in Germany this weekend.
“There’s also the senior British Championships coming up shortly too so there are plenty of opportunities.
“It would mean a lot to make the European team. I got my first GB vest at May’s Loughborough International but that was only a domestic competition so this will be a step up.”
Lawrie had already enjoyed a stellar indoor season this year, including winning the 400m at the Scottish National Under-20 Championships, before converting his form into the outdoor campaign.
And while work and training commitments mean little spare time, the carrot of a place on the British team for the Europeans is driving him on.
“Training has been going really well this year. I’ve not changed much but I have been working hard on improving my diet and stuff like that and it’s great to see the results starting to arrive,” he added.
“I’ve having to balance everything with training full time at a chemical plant so it sometimes makes things a bit tricky.
“But the hard work will be worth it if I can get on the team for the Europeans.”
Lawrie is an SSE Next Generation athlete. SSE partner SportsAid to provide financial support and training to the sports stars of the future, whsoe progress can be followed at @SSENextGen