TEENAGER Robert Tobin proved his guts in the gusts as he claimed the scalps of senior internationals Iwan Thomas and Mark Hylton when he won in the Aqua Pura match at Loughborough.

The 19-year-old Basingstoke and Mid-Hants runner, from Old Basing, was competing for British University Students in a 400-metre race that was slowed by a gusting head-wind in the back straight.

Former European and Commonwealth champion Thomas looked strong as he took the lead in the back straight.

But the Welshman was passed in the last couple of strides by Tobin, who won in 48.0sec.

Thomas almost walked over the finishing line to clock 48.03, a time that would have barely ranked him in the UK's top 50 last summer. Hilton, running for the International Select, was fifth in 48.6.

Thomas said: "It was windy but it shouldn't have been that bad. I have never run that slow. It's not a reflection of where I'm at."

Last weekend's win is a feather in Tobin's cap but, surprisingly, he has described his early-season form as "not too great".

The teenager believes he is over the hamstring problems that hampered his winter preparation. Around Christmas, he suffered a swollen hamstring in his right leg.

It was a problem with the one in the left leg that forced him to pull up in last year's European junior championships in Jamaica.

The right hamstring injury flared up again at Easter but Tobin still completed a 100m and 200m sprint double in the Hampshire championships a month ago.

Last week, the management sciences student at Southampton University ran in an international meeting at Cottbus in Germany, trying to achieve the European under-23 championship 400m qualifying time of 46.8 sec.

Again, he was disappointed with his third place in the 400m B race in 47.09.

Tantalisingly, the British selectors have delayed choosing their 4x400m relay team for the European Cup in Florence in a week's time. But Tobin is unsure whether he will be considered.

He said: "You can't really tell because no-one's running that quickly at the moment. Past reputations are usually taken into account so I don't really know."

If up-and-coming Tobin's claim is overlooked for Florence, he will contest the South of England championships at Portsmouth the same weekend, seeking the 46.8 European qualifying time he achieved last season.

If it's windy, he will bypass the 400m race and instead opt for either, or both, of the sprints.

The weekend after that, he is set to return to Bedford, the scene of the British universities championships, for the AAA under-23 championships.

Despite Tobin's win at Loughborough, British Universities could only finish fourth in the meeting behind International Select, Loughborough University and Scotland.

Great Britain under-20s and Wales filled the bottom two places.