UP-and-coming Worcester discus prospect Adam Damadzic gained valuable experience in his burgeoning career in the Aviva 2012 Olympic trials.

The former Royal Grammar School Worcester pupil, who is now targeting a 2016 Olympics place in Rio de Janeiro, claimed a creditable 11th-place finish in the men’s final.

The 19-year-old athlete, who managed a throw of 47.35 metres at Birmingham’s Alexander Stadium, was disappointed not to break into the top 10, but is optimistic for the future.

Birchfield Harriers member Damadzic wrote on Twitter: “I was gutted with my performance, but I had an awesome time at the trials — bring on the next four years of work! I must make it count this time.”

Croydon’s Lawrence Okoye won with a distance of 63.46m, ahead of Birchfield’s Brett Morse (62.27m), while Newham and Essex Beagles’ Abdul Buhari took bronze with 60.94m.

Another 2016 hopeful, Ledbury’s 16-year-old 5,000m race-walker Tasha Webster, was also in action in Birmingham.

Despite her relative inexperience, the Herefordshire athlete, also a member of the Birchfield club, claimed an impressive seventh-placed finish in the women’s final in a time of 27 minutes 0.6 seconds.

Wyre Piddle’s Matt Bond ran the 10,000m in 29.42.63, which saw him claim a bronze medal, but he would still need to remove a considerable amount of time from his personal best to sneak a place at this summer’s Games in London.

Mo Farah and Chris Thompson are shoo-ins for the two spots in the GB team and Sale Harriers’ Bond requires a superb performance at the forthcoming London Grand Prix to force his way onto the team.

On his performance in Birmingham, the former King’s School, Worcester, pupil, 29, said: “It was the first time I’ve picked up a medal at a national championships, so I’ve got to be happy with that.

“The last time I went to this event was two years ago and my goal then was just not to come last in the 5k, so it’s good to have moved on a little bit.

“Sometimes it’s not about what you get, it’s about how you feel about your performance and what you take away from it.

“I’m fairly happy with how the meeting went — I’ve been racing for over a year without a break now, so there is only so long this form can last and I was happy to keep it going.”

Worcester-based sprinter Melinda Cooksey was also in action at the Alexander Stadium, but she was unable to qualify for the women’s 200m final. The Birchfield sprinter clocked a time of 24.95 seconds for sixth place in heat three.