ROBERT Tobin has one last chance to qualify for the European Under-23 Championships in Poland next month after finishing a below-par fourth in yesterday's 400 metres final at the Bedford International Stadium.

All hope now hinges on this weekend's under-23 international in Hungary with Tobin still chasing the elusive 46.80-second qualifying time for Bydgoszcz (July 17-20).

After a self-confessed "awful" heat run on Saturday in which he was overtaken on the line to finish second in 48.21, the 19-year-old Southampton University student, left, from the Basingstoke & Mid Hants club knew there was ample room for improvement in the final.

But having attacked the first half of the race with more aggression than the previous day, Tobin - who, but for ten days, would still be in the under-20 age-group - tensed up down the home straight to finish outside the medal positions in 47.31.

Tobin went into the meeting ranked second in the country behind Belgrave's outstanding prospect Tim Benjamin and famously beat Iwan Thomas at Loughborough last month, but yesterday he found himself over-shadowed by some former lesser lights.

He confessed: "I didn't relax at all. I felt under pressure and when I came into the home straight I tightened up.

"It's disappointing but it'll give me more motivation to get out and train."

Tobin had beaten all three of the lads who finished ahead of him in the past and his coach Todd Bennett admitted he had not expected the opposition to be so hot.

Having set a Championship best in the heats, Shettleston Harriers' Allan Stuart matched it with another storming 46.72 second run in the final, firmly eclipsing Tobin's 46.80 personal best.

Bennett confessed: "It surprised me that the others ran so fast.

"These championships came a bit too soon for Robert. He's only been free of injury for the last ten days.

"He's had hamstring problems which have been holding him back in picking up his knees and accelerating."

There was disappointment, too, for Winchester & District's 16-year-old 200m prospect Marimba Odundo-Mendez, above.

Chasing the 21.65 qualifying time for the World Youth Championships in Canada next month, he looked to be well on course with a solid third-placed heat run of 21.91.

But the wheels came off in the semi-final for the Lord Wandsworth College student, who wilted in the scorching temperatures to crash out seventh in his semi-final in 22.54.

Still three months short of his 17th birthday, Odundo-Mendez has another two years to conquer the junior age-group.

He reflected: "I need to run at this level more often and, hopefully, it'll come in the next couple of years. Time is on my side.

" People like Dwain Chambers didn't peak until they were at the top end of the under-20s. I'd rather be at my best then than now."

Tobin will be joined on next weekend's trip to Hungary by Team Solent's Emma Duck, who clocked 14.28 seconds for fourth in the under-23 100m hurdles final.

Other Solent athletes to shine included silver medallists Charmaine Turner (under-23 women's triple jump, 12.37) and Kieren Kelly (under-20 men's shot, 16.13).

Solent's Niklas Iliffe came fourth in the under-23 men's discus (46.37), while clubmate Tommy Davies ran 15.05.85 for sixth in the under-20 men's 5000m - three places adrift of Aldershot, Farnham & District's David Udal, who ran a personal best 14.52.15 for bronze.

Udal's Aldershot colleague Chris Thompson led the under-23 men's 1500m charge in 3.47.69.

And another success story from the north of the county came from Basingstoke & Mid Hants' Katy Watts, who struck under-23 women's javelin silver with 48.93.