DANNY Talbot will be heading to Switzerland next week hoping to finish the job of booking his place on the plane for the World Championships in Beijing, WRITES KEVIN FAHEY.

The Trowbridge Tornado pencilled in his reservation in the Great Britain team by finishing runner-up in the trials, which were incorporated into the Sainsbury’s British Championships last weekend, behind newcomer Zharnel Hughes.

The top two in the trials get automatic selection providing they have run the qualifying standard and while Talbot has done that in the past the selectors want to see him do it this season, so his first chance will be in the high profile Lucerne meeting on Tuesday.

“I either have to run a very fast time, which shows top eight potential at the World Championships, or run inside the qualifying standard of 20.50secs at least twice,” said Talbot.

“It would be nice to run a very fast time in Lucerne and I definitely feel I am in shape to get close to my personal best and I am capable of running 20.2secs.

“But if not I need to get inside 20.50secs and then do it again. I ran inside that sort of time several times last year so I should be able to do it if the conditions are good and I continue to execute my race as well as I have been doing.”

Following Lucerne Talbot has pencilled in another 200m at Loughborough the following weekend and, all being well, is then hoping to secure a place in the Diamond League London Anniversary Games.

A PB on Tuesday – his best of 20.36secs was set last year - would strengthen his claim for a lane in that meeting which would be the perfect way to prepare for the World Championships when both he and Hughes should lead the British challenge.

As revealed in last week’s Wiltshire Gazette & Herald, Talbot had gone out of his way to greet the 19-year-old newcomer from Anguilla who is being touted as the new Usain Bolt, but in the flesh he didn’t see anything to be afraid of.

“Look the better man won on the day but I did not get the same sense with Zharnel as I did, when I raced Usain Bolt last year when I thought I had no chance of beating him,” added Talbot.

“I was disappointed I did not beat Zharnel last weekend. People are saying he is the next big thing (in world sprinting) but I didn’t get the feeling that he was any better than me and I take that as a positive even though basically it was an opportunity missed not to beat him on the day.

“But I am always proud of winning a British medal and the hard part of making the top two has been done and now I just have to go and get the time. I am really looking forward to Lucerne as it is one of my favourite meetings and it is always fast for sprinters.”