Pirrenee Steinert will have to line-up in smaller races or head overseas if she is to book a ticket to the London Olympic Games after finishing fifth at the Olympic trials.
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Steinert was well outside her personal best over 400m, running 53.98 seconds in cold and windy conditions in Melbourne.
The 2010 Maitland Sportsperson of the Year’s best time of 2012 is 52.70s, which she recorded in Newcastle.
She has run sub-52s in training and clocked 52.02 in a mixed race late last year.
The trials were the last of the big meets on the Australian athletics calendar, but Steinert has until June to run the 51.5s she needs for a guaranteed ticket to London.
Her chances include national and state championships and inter club meets.
Failing those, she has the option of heading overseas to enter races in Europe and Asia.
Hunter athlete Ben Harradine finished second in the discus, throwing 60.51m.
Former Maitland sprinter Josh Ross tied for sixth place in the final of the men’s 100m and clocked 10.56s.
East Maitland athlete Laura Whaler’s dreams of racing in London have ended with the sprinter set to undergo hip surgery.
