TEENAGE star Jessica Judd hopes the selectors picking the Great Britain squad for the World Athletics Championships will overlook what she called her worst race of the season.

The 18-year-old, from Canvey, could have rubber-stamped her spot at her first senior World Championships by winning the 800m at the British trials in Birmingham on Saturday.

But Judd lost her season’s unbeaten tag over the two-lap distance to rival Marilyn Okoro who instead took the one guaranteed spot for the championships in Moscow.

The Chelmsford AC athlete – who is the fastest female 800m runner in the country this year – is still widely expected to be named in the GB team.

But she was gutted to have missed the chance to start planning for the World Championships already.

“I’m devastated,” she said. “I really hope I will still be picked to go to Moscow. I ran rubbish and I’m really disappointed because the season has gone so well until now.

“But every season has to have a bad race, I’m just devastated it was this one.”

Judd explained there were explanations for her performance which saw her finish second in 2m 2.81s, her slowest time of the year.

“There are reasons behind it which I will have to put right for the European Junior Championships in Rieti,” she insisted.

One of those reasons was the untimely arrival of what the teenager described as the first injury of her career.

An inflamed tendon in her Achilles had been aggravating her all week.

She got the all-clear to race but said the injury was playing on her mind.

“Not so much during the race but before and afterwards I was thinking about it,” she said. “As soon as I stepped off the track after my heat on Friday it was sore.

“I don’t think it’s too serious it’s just not something I’ve had to deal with before.”

Judd flies out to Italy with the rest of the Great Britain juniors squad tomorrow.

And she will be hoping her injury is not serious as she is convinced she is in shape to run a lot faster than the personal best of 1m 59.85s she set when winning the Diamond League in Birmingham two weeks ago.

“I know there’s more to come,” she said. “I feel like I’m in 1m 58s shape. Training has been going well so hopefully that will come.”

Judd is due to learn tomorrow whether the Great Britain selectors will pick her for the team travelling to Moscow.

The GB team’s selection criteria suggest she has done enough to be part of the team.

Not only has she a qualifying “A-standard” time she also fits the description of a young athlete who has the potential to win a medal at future world championships, a new caveat brought into the selection process this year to aid younger competitors.