SOUTHAMPTON 100 metres whiz kid Oli Bromby was left cursing the wind at Portsmouth’s Mountbatten Centre on Sunday.

Chasing a 10.45-second qualifying time for the World Junior Championships in Bydgoszcz, Poland in July, the 18-year-old Shirley speedster smashed it with a powerhouse 10.40 win at the Hampshire AA Track & Field Championships.

But with a brisk breeze blowing down the track, his worst fears were confirmed when the wind speed was officially registered as +2.6 metres per second.

The run stands as a Hampshire Championship senior men’s best, breaking the record jointly set by Roger Black and the late Todd Bennett in the 1980s – not bad for an 18-year-old running up an age-group from the under-20s.

But, alas for Bromby, the wind was too strong for it to count towards World Junior qualification.

“I can’t be too disappointed because I still ran the time, but it won’t go as a qualifying time for the Worlds,” he said.

“It would have been a personal best for me and I’ll probably still count it as a pb, but it will go down as wind assisted.”

Bromby is praying for better conditions this Sunday (May 22) when he competes in a guest race at the annual Loughborough International event at the Paula Radcliffe Stadium.

It was at the same venue last year that he posted his legal pb of 10.42. That opened the gateway to the IAAF World Youth Championships in the Colombia and the Commonwealth Youth Games in Samoa where he finished just outside the medals in fourth on both occasions, peaking at 10.45.

“It was too windy in Colombia and, although I did 10.45 in Samoa, it was the end of the season and I wasn’t feeling my best,” said the Richard Taunton Sixth Form College student.

Bromby hasn’t been overly impressed with his efforts so far this season. He was one of just four individual winners for Southampton AC in their British Men's Athletic League Division One opener at Watford two weekends ago, but was disappointed to clock 10.63.

“I was going for times and I was awful,” he said. “It’s all about the mental stuff now. I’ve got to try not to race too hard and just relax and let it flow.

“I’m in the guest race at Loughborough and hopefully I’ll get a relay run for GB Juniors.

"I'm sponsored by Puma now, mainly for kit and stuff. It all helps so much."

Bromby was a double county gold medallist at Portsmouth, warming up for his main event with a 21.61 200m win.

*OLYMPIC silver medallist Roger Black has been wiped out of the Hampshire AA Championships 400 metres record books after 31 years.

His under-20 men’s time of 47.5 seconds, set as a Southampton & Eastleigh AC athlete in 1985, has finally been bettered.

Cameron Chalmers of Guernsey Island is the country championships' new junior men's one-lap supremo, having clocked 47.26 to take gold at Portsmouth’s Mountbatten Centre on Sunday.

To complete a sparkling family double, Cameron’s younger brother Alistair set a championship best of 52.86 in the under-17 men’s 400m hurdles.