LAWRENCE Clarke’s return to The Stadium, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, London – as it is now called – for the Sainsbury’s Anniversary Games yielded mixed results, writes STUART WEIR.

In the 110m hurdles heats, Clarke, from Christmas Common, near Watlington, ran 13.41secs, just two hundredths of a second outside his season’s best.

However, in the final he came eighth out of nine in 13.67 behind winner, Jason Richardson, who ran 13.19.

The Olympic Stadium has happy memories for Clarke, who ran his pb there on his way to taking fourth place in the London Olympics.

The return visit did not disappoint.

“It was amazing out there,” he said.

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“You know you get so nervous before these meets and looking forward to them.

“But when you go out there, there is nothing like it.

“The atmosphere was amazing, the crowds were incredible”.

Of his performance, he said: “In the first race, all went well. I executed well.

“The time was faster than in the heat in the 2012 Olympics where conditions were good.”

Friday night’s races saw the athletes battling wind, cold and rain.

He was disappointed with the outcome of the final.

“I tried to stay very low out of the blocks and run very fast,” he explained.

“I put my foot through the first hurdle which took me out of the race straightaway.

“After that it was just trying to get back into the race but in a field like this there is no chance.”

However he remains upbeat and confident for the World Championships in Beijing at the end of August.

“I am in the best shape of my life and I know that I can go a lot quicker,” he said.

“In Beijing it will be about executing clean races and getting through the rounds.

“If I can run in Beijing like I did in the first race, I will put myself in a great position to make the Olympic final.”