TROWBRIDGE sprinter Danny Talbot's place in the Team GB athletics party for next month's Olympic Games in Rio was confirmed this afternoon.

Talbot, who finished second in the men's 200m at the trials in Birmingham last month to secure his plane ticket to Brazil, will join national champion Adam Gemili and Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake over the distance.

The former St Augustine's pupil, 25, is also in the squad for the 4x100m relay alongside James Dasaolu, James Ellington, Chijindu Ujah, Gemili, Mitchell-Blake, Richard Kilty, Ojie Edoburun and Harry Aikines-Aryeetey.

Talbot, who competed in just the relay at London 2012, believes he is the best shape of his life as he prepares for the Olympics.

The Trowbridge Tornado returned to his training base in Loughborough this week after winning the bronze medal in the 200m at the European Championships in Amsterdam.

He enjoyed a few days rest before resuming training and will tackle his final race before the Rio Olympics when he lines up in a top class 200m field at the Muller London Anniversary Games in the Olympic Stadium next weekend (July 22-23).

“In the last few weeks my confidence has really gone up,” said Talbot.

“I will have some hard sessions ahead of racing at the Anniversary Games with the 200m on the Friday night and then the relay and then it will be back to Trowbridge for a few days at home.

“Then I fly off to Brazil to the GB holding camp at Belo Horizonte on July 30th where I will spend 12 days acclimatising to the weather and new time zone.

“Then three days before the heats of the 200m I will transfer to the Olympic village in Rio.”

Talbot has every reason to feel confident that his preparations are proceeding according to plan ahead of  his second Olympic Games though his first in an individual event – in London he was just part of the 4x100m relay team.

He finished runner-up in the British Championships last month to secure his place in the team – then ran a season’s best of 20.37secs in the semi finals of the Europeans before the strange outcome in the final when he initially finished fourth, just missing bronze by 0.05secs but was then promoted to third spot after winner Charandy Martina of the Netherlands as disqualified.

“I really thought I had blown it,” admitted Talbot.

“After the semi finals (in which Talbot posted the fastest time) I thought I could win the final if I kept my head. Mentally I was fine but the body didn’t respond well and it just didn’t happen for me.

“That was disappointing and it was only later when I had gone through the mixed zone that I heard about the disqualification and that I had won the bronze medal.

“That was a really nice bonus ahead of Rio because that has always been the main aim. The Euros were good preparation for the Olympics even if it was a very strange competition.

“Next up is the Anniversary Games, which is probably the biggest Diamond League meeting in the world now and then after that off to Brazil. It is all getting very exciting now.”

An 80-strong team of British athletes was confirmed for Rio in an announcement in Loughborough this afternoon, including hurdlers Eilidh Doyle and Andrew Pozzi, who are both coached by Broughton Gifford-based coach Malcolm Arnold.

Olympic champions Jess Ennis-Hill, Mo Farah and Greg Rutherford will seek to retain their crowns in Brazil having triumphed on ‘Super Saturday’ at London 2012, with Farah also defending his 5000m title.

London 2012 medallists Christine Ohuruogu, who also won Olympic gold at Beijing 2008, and Robbie Grabarz also return and will again compete in the 400m and high jump respectively while Jo Pavey is set to compete in her fifth Olympic Games in the 10,000m.

READ MORE FROM DANNY TALBOT IN THIS WEEK'S WILTSHIRE TIMES, OUT ON FRIDAY