UK Athletics chief executive David Moorcroft has backed 400 metres AAA champion Mark Richardson to go from strength to strength, on the eve of the first team announcement for next month's World Championships in Canada.

The Windsor runner clocked 45.79 seconds to beat rival Iwan Thomas from Netley and claim the national title in the Norwich Union World Trials at Birmingham on Sunday - but his run was an agonising 0.07secs outside the qualifying time for the showdown in Edmonton.

Although Richardson's time was slower than the benchmark, the World Championships rules allow athletes to be selected on performances achieved last year, meaning Richardson would be eligible on the basis of his summer 2000 times.

Moorcroft broke off from an all-day meeting with the British team selectors at their headquarters in Edgbaston, Birmingham, to salute Richardson's season's best time, just over a month after his reinstatement from a ban imposed following a positive drugs test.

The initial British team announcement was expected to be made today at the Thames Valley Athletics Club in Eton, and Moorcroft revealed the governing body was greatly-impressed with Richardson's form.

He said: "We're delighted Mark ran well at the weekend. We hope he can put the past year behind him and continue to build his career and do well at major championships."

UK Athletics communications manager, Helen Wyeth, confirmed Richardson's selection was high on the agenda as athletics bosses thrashed out the team line-up.

She said: "That's one of the issues for the selection meeting as he hasn't made the standard this year. Whether they will take the time he did last year will be discussed.

"The athletes have until July 23 to make the qualifying times.It's the Norwich Union Grand Prix at Crystal Palace on Sunday night, and both Mark Richardson and Iwan Thomas can run in that."

Welshman Thomas finished Sunday's thrilling duel with Richardson in exactly 46 seconds. He could possibly compete at the Bedford International Games tomorrow in another bid to make the 45.72secs mark needed to book his place at Edmonton.

However, he is more likely to run at Crystal Palace on Sunday as a last resort.

Thomas has no qualification-standard time from last year to fall back on, and after finishing two strides behind Richardson last night he pleaded with the selectors to look favourably at his case for the championships, which start on August 3.

He said: "We were both outside the qualifying time. I don't know what they (the selectors) will do about that, but I hope they will be sensible. We are getting faster all the time, me and Mark."