The 17-year-old could only manage a fourth-place finish in the 1500m at the England U20 Championships and European Trials in Bedford on Sunday as two of her main rivals all went under the qualifying standard to put their names in the hat for automatic selection.

Stacey Smith led the field home claiming gold in a time of 4.18.54 minutes, while Josephine Moultrie and Charlotte Purdue were second and third with Weightman three seconds off the pace after clocking 4.22.08 — over two seconds down on her personal best.

And a frustrated Weightman admitted there is nothing else she can do but play the waiting game ahead of the showpiece junior event of the year in Serbia this month (July 23).

"I'm not particularly happy with where I came and I would have liked to put myself in the frame for automatic selection," conceded Weightman, who is one of 15 up-and-coming athletes selected for the UK Athletics Heroes Project, supported by Original Source.

"They're making their selections this week so I don't know whether I'll be in the team — we'll have to wait and see, but the final selection isn't made for another two weeks.

"There are four of us who have run the qualifying standard, not including Charlotte Purdue who came third yesterday but can't make the Europeans for other reasons.

"It's obviously disappointing because if I had run better in Bedford then I would have put myself in the frame. There's another two weeks until final selection so it's going to be a nervous wait."

Weightman's fourth-place finish was a step up from 12 months ago and while the Newcastle College student admitted she would be 'gutted' to miss out on selection she was adamant she would make amends next year in her final junior season.

"It would be brilliant to be picked, I'd be over the moon, but if I don't then I've still got another year as a junior," she added.

"I'd obviously be gutted but I'd still have another shot at making the juniors next year. It'd be great to go this year though and see what I can do - that was my target at the start of the season.

"I'm going to do more 800m races to build up my speed in the weeks to come.

"It's great to have a group of us who are capable of running fast and getting the standard — it's always friendly but obviously it's really competitive as well and I always want to go out and beat them."

• UKA Heroes project sponsored by Original Source is a successful initiative which offers financial support to talented young athletes who are working towards the 2012 and 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games.