HAMMER thrower Sarah Holt may have failed to qualify for the final of the European Championships in Helsinki but the 25-year-old is adamant that she will return much stronger for the experience.

Holt came to Finland with a personal best this season of 68.50m but failed to replicate that on the big stage as her best effort from her three attempts was measured at 61.18m.

That left her 12th in her semi-final, and with only six going through from each one it marked the end of a disappointing week for Holt.

An under-par showing at the Olympic trials last weekend saw her finish fourth, despite standing second in the British rankings, and Holt admitted that she still had much to learn.

“It didn’t feel so bad but obviously I think technically my last couple of turns did not feel on the money and the distance was not there either,” said Holt.

“It was just one of those days and it really did not happen for me.

“But I’m really happy to be at the Europeans, that’s a big stepping stone for me and I will need to learn from this.

“I have been to Championships before, I went to Delhi for the Commonwealths in 2010, but the main thing that let me down was technically, so I need to keep my head on my technique for future events.

“I didn’t feel nervous or anything like that, I have been a lot more nervous in the past but it just did not really happen for me.”

Holt would have needed to beat her personal best by almost three metres to match the Olympic A-standard and have a chance of being picked for London 2012.

But despite missing out on a place at the Games this summer she remains confident that her best years are still ahead of her.

“Overall this has been a good year for me, I’ve improved my personal best by over two metres which is the most I have managed to improve it by for the last few years,” she added.

“The progression this year makes me pretty happy, but I still feel there’s quite a lot more in me, from what I believe and my coaches believe in training.

“I will have to sit down with my coach and draw up a plan for the rest of this year now and we will see how it goes from there.”

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