Race walker Tom Bosworth was left 'gutted' after missing out on a place at London 2012 by a margin of just 19 seconds.

The Sevenoaks athlete, 22, smashed his personal best by a full minute at the IAAF Race Walking Grand Prix in La Coruna, Spain, on Saturday but his time of 1hour 24mins 49secs was just outside the Olympic B qualifying standard for London 2012.

The breakout performance - which saw him finish 14th in an elite field of 55 - was the fastest ever by an under-23 on the road, the 11th fastest British 20k of all-time and the fastest by a Brit in the past 16 years, however it left the Tonbridge AC walker with mixed emotions.

He said: "It is totally gutting. The last three years has all come down to this. It's such a shame. It was always going to be a huge ask, to set the time, but to have some so close. It's very difficult to take."

He added: "It's difficult because I was over the moon to have broken my PB again. I got a lot of messages after the race and people coming up to me who would never normally talk to me, shaking my hand and congratulating me.

"I can't really complain. I shouldn't have been in with a chance (of qualifying) this year. There are plenty of senior athletes who should have been ahead of me, but as it is there's no-one even close.

"It puts me in a great position for next year and the World Championships."

Bosworth (pictured) revealed: "The field was so strong and it brought the best out in me. The first 8k I was in a brilliant pack of four. I tried to stick with them but they dropped me in the end.

"After 16k I had just emptied the tank. It was so hard. I couldn't get back. My coach told me the time I needed in the last kilometre to make it, and I gave it everything and it was sensationally fast, but it wasn't enough."