Dobriskey is sweating on her World Championship place

By Chris Cottrell, Sportsbeat, at Crystal Palace

LISA Dobriskey is praying she's done enough to earn her place on the plane for next month's World Athletics Championships in Berlin.

OLYMPIC AGONY: A mistimed sprint cost Lisa Dobriskey a 1500m medal in Beijing - but could she miss out on Berlin altogether?

Dobriskey, who missed the recent Aviva National Championships and World Trials with a thigh injury, gave selectors a timely reminder of her availability with a third place in the women's 1500m at the Aviva Grand Prix.

Dobriskey - fourth in last year's Olympic final, a mistimed sprint finish cost her bronze - finished in a season's best 4.08.27 as Americans Anna Willard and Shannon Rowbury took the first two places.

It leaves selectors with a real dilemma as they prepare to meet on Sunday to finalise their Berlin-bound squad, which will be announced in Birmingham 24 hours later.

Charlene Thomas is already guaranteed selection after winning the trials in Birmingham, giving them a straight choice between Dobriskey, Hannah England and Steph Twell for the remaining two places.

Thomas finished ninth at Crystal Palace while England and Twell placed fourth and fifth respectively.

However, both England and Twell have run quicker than Dobriskey's time.

Twell's 4.03.62 personal best from Warsaw last month leads the British rankings and England ran 4.05.87 in Hengelo.

The selectors now have a straight choice between two youthful athletes in form and Dobriskey - a proven championship performer and Commonwealth Games gold medallist, who is showing encouraging signs of returning to fitness after a six-week lay-off.

"The stress of this week has been unbearable," admitted Dobriskey. "I don't know whether I've done enough, I'll just have to wait for the selectors decision.

"If my best isn't good enough then I don't deserve to be on the team."

Meanwhile, Twell admitted she was infuriated by the pace set at Crystal Palace.

“Of course you always go into the race with a tactic but I'm really disappointed and disappointed with the pace making to be honest,” said Twell.

“I hope I'm still in the running for the Worlds. My second place at the trial two weeks ago will definitely add weight to my case.”

American Lashinda Demus won the women’s 400m hurdles in a 53.65 second all-comers record while Scot Eilidh Child was fifth.

Olympic and world champion Tirunesh Dibaba was a predictable winner of the women’s 5000m in 14.33.65, the fastest time in the world this year.

Meanwhile, Great Britain’s Michael Bingham ran a personal best 45.03 sec time to surely secure his Berlin berth, beating Olympic 400m hurdles gold medallist Angelo Taylor in the process.

Former Olympic champion Dwight Phillips won the men’s long jump with a wind-assisted 8.33 metre while Chris Tomlinson also impressed with a 8.21m effort that was good enough for second.

British team-mate and training partner Greg Rutherford, who missed the trials in Birmingham, produced two eight metre plus jumps to finish third, which should be enough to secure his place in Berlin.

“I've not done that much full training but I felt great out there,” said Rutherford. “To open up with 8.01 and then 8.06 in the next is fantastic.”

Olympic high jump silver medallist Germaine Mason jumped a season’s best 2.31m to secure the British team ‘A’ qualifying standard but was beaten to first place by Jaraslav Baba, of the Czech Republic.

Goldie Sayers continued her comeback from injury with a season’s best 59.82m in the javelin to finish second behind Germany’s Steffi Nerius.

“I was in all sorts of trouble with my back last week and I was on the verge of calling it quits for the season but I'm glad my coach persuaded me out of it,” she revealed.