Bobby Clay announced herself on the world athletics stage with an eighth-place finish in the 1,500m final at the IAAF World Junior Championships in Eugene, Oregon, last weekend.

The 17-year-old middle distance runner was the second-fastest European in Sunday’s final, as she finished with a season-best time of 4min 16.47sec – just 0.06sec slower than her best-ever time.

Clay was selected as part of a 46-strong GB squad to travel to the USA for the championships, and she achieved her goal of qualifying for the final.

That was accomplished courtesy of another season-best performance in her qualifying heat, which she then bettered in the closing event.

The Wingham athlete tweeted her jubilation at qualifying from her heat last Friday: “Absolutely over the moon to have qualified for the world juniors 1500m final...excited is an understatement! #Oregon14”.

A time of 4.16.56 helped Clay finish third in her heat, sending her through to the final alongside GB team-mate, Amy Griffiths.

The British pair finished eighth and 11th respectively – separated by just over a second.
Dawit Seyaum, of Ethiopia, won the final with a time of 4.09.86, while Polish athlete, Sofia Ennaoui, was the only European competitor to place higher than the Invicta East Kent AC runner.

In the aftermath of the championships, Clay again took to social media to express her reaction.

On Sunday, she tweeted: “Not the best performance but a massive step up to what I have ever experienced before...and I’ve loved every minute! #GBJ14”.