There were mixed emotions for Bobby Clay after a gutsy performance in the World Junior Championship 1,500m final in Poland on Sunday.

The 19-year-old Invicta East Kent AC star cruised through her heat in fourth place on Friday to book a place in Sunday’s final but encountered a ‘difficult’ experience as she took on the best under-20 middle-distance runners in the world in Bydgoszcz.

Clay was the leading European home in the Zawisza Stadium - to endorse her achievement of being crowned European Junior Champion last summer - but had to settle for seventh after taking it upon herself to set the pace in the early stages of a cagey, tactical race.

The Wingham wonder claimed: “I wanted to make an honest race out of it. I race 1,500m because I want to run 1,500m. The pace I took it out was not anything silly, it was the pace we should have been going.

“I just thought, you know what, give it a shot and if it pays off, it pays off and if it doesn’t, it doesn’t.”

Clay took the pace out in 1.07.63 for the first 400m and the clock showed 2.14.96 for 800m with the 11 other finalists on her shoulder. As they neared 1,200m, Ethiopian Adanech Anbesa took the lead and in the final lap a pack of four separated themselves from Clay on the back straight.

Anbesa eventually took gold in 4.08.07 ahead of compatriot Fantu Worku (4.08.43) with USA’s Christina Aragon third with 4.08.71. Clay battled on gamely for seventh in 4.13.09 – her third fastest time ever.

She said: “I just want to keep coming to these major championships and showing what I can do. It’s difficult but I’ve loved every single second of racing and I’m just hungry for more.”