WILTSHIRE sprinter Danny Talbot has already switched his focus to the Olympic Games after booking his Rio berth at the weekend.

Trowbridge’s Talbot secured the top-two finish he needed in the 200m final at the British Athletics Championships in Birmingham on Sunday, narrowly missing out on a second national title in three years.

The 25-year-old came home in 20.46 seconds at the Alexander Stadium, finishing just 0.02secs behind winner Adam Gemili.

Both men ran inside the Olympic qualifying time of 20.50secs set by British Athletics, meaning it was job done for the former St Augustine’s pupil Talbot.

“I came here to make the team, thankfully I did that and now I will move on and try to be competitive in Rio,” said Talbot, who was a member of the Team GB 4x100m relay squad at London 2012.

“It is very strange when you come to the trials and the top two is good enough to achieve your goal.

“That wasn’t my mindset, I wanted to win. I nearly did, unfortunately I didn’t, but I couldn’t have lost to a nicer guy.

“Me and Adam have been friends for three or four years, we roomed together at the last Olympics so if I had to lose to someone, I’m glad it was him.”

The 200m was built up as a battle between Gemili and Zharnel Hughes, with the duo finishing fifth in the last two World Championship finals in 2013 and 2015 respectively.

Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake became the second fastest Brit of all time over the distance when he clocked 19.95secs back in May, meaning Talbot was an outsider to make the team.

Mitchell-Blake ended up skipping the trials, while Hughes could only finish third in Birmingham, and Talbot was delighted that his performance means he will not be sweating over who gets the final place.

“It doesn’t annoy me but I think it was built up between those three and I know what I am capable of,” added Talbot.

“I don’t see it as the selectors now have to leave someone behind. I have earned my place and I want to make the Olympic final, so I would have to beat these guys anyway.

“If people want to build it up in a certain way, that’s what it’s going to be like in the Olympics – no one is going to know who I am in the Olympics. I just do my own thing. I work hard and if I win, I win and if I don’t, I don’t.

“As much as you don’t want to think about the top three, realistically they have run 19.9, 20.0, so if I left it in the selectors’ hands, Zharnel and Adam have been to the World Championships and finished fifth, so I really had to make sure I was in the top two.”