LAST night in Helsinki's Olympic Stadium, Lynsey Sharp timed her late dash for the line to perfection.

Now, the Scot can only wait to see if her belated push to earn a place at the Games in London next month will be as richly rewarded.

Just days after her surprise 800m victory at the British trials in Birmingham, the 21-year-old last night emerged from her first major final with a silver medal, recovering from a shaky start to seize a podium place with an astounding final 100m.

That late charge, having been bumped on the opening lap then found herself 20 metres off the medals coming down the home straight, earned the Edinburgh athlete second place behind Yelena Arzhakova of Russia. Crossing the line in a personal best of 2:00.52 should have been a further source of happiness but, instead, Sharp was left to rue her failure to run the 1:59.90 time needed to meet the Olympic A standard.

"I would never have thought that I would get a silver medal and I'm so happy with that, but later on I'm going to be frustrated at getting a PB and getting so close to the 'A'," Sharp admitted. "I know it's there, I am just a few weeks behind in my training and come the Games I am going to be in the best form of my life. It's out of my hands now. I rise to the occasion [in championships] which is a good thing, but I just need to make sure I do the time in future."

Her efforts over the past week have ensured that she fulfils the selectors' criteria of 'current form' but three of her rivals – Marilyn Okoro, Emma Jackson and Jenny Meadows – have all run quicker during the selection window, even if doubts persist over the fitness of the latter two.

Missing out would be rough justice on the Scot, who is clearly a fast-improving athlete who can cope with pressure situations, in stark contrast to Okoro, whose crazy tactics continue to frustrate, underlined by her woeful showing in Birmingham last weekend. Indeed, if Sharp been competing in the US trials this week, where the first three past the post in the trials qualify, the she would have booked her place already.

Another Scot sweating over inclusion on Tuesday is Lee McConnell, who tried to take the positives after failing to make the podium in the 400m. A decade after her breakthrough bronze in the event in Munich, she had to settle for fifth on this occasion in a time of 52.20 seconds, 0.65 of a second slower than her Olympic selection standard target.

It means the two-time Olympian will likely to focus her ambitions on the relay, in which she is a two-time world bronze medallist. "I felt that I had a little bit more to give," McConnell said. "We will have to see what team they want to run. I have had a fantastic time over the years running relays and that's not going to change."

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