Rhys Williams makes 2012 Games grade

Welshman Rhys Williams gave his 2012 London Olympics a massive boost after winning the European Championships' 400m hurdles crown in Helsinki.

Williams, 28, ran a second Olympic 'A' qualifying standard by clocking 49.33 seconds having fallen in Team GB's Olympic trials.

He powered away from the rest of the field in the final straight.

And in doing so he seems likely to join Wales' World champion Dai Greene and Jack Green at the London Games.

Williams eased down in the semi to miss out on the second 'A' standard of 49.50 and believed it would come in the final.

With fellow GB contender Nathan Woodward also on the start line, Williams was under no illusions as to the task that awaited him.

But he rose to the challenge in Greene and Green's absences.

Greene and his training partner Green booked their Olympic places in the 400m hurdles at last weekend's trials in Birmingham, where Williams fell at the penultimate hurdle in the final.

Williams won silver behind Greene at the 2010 European Championships.

Another Welsman, Gareth Warburton, finished last in his semi-final of the 800m making him an outsider for Olympic selection.

That was after Warburton, fourth in the 2010 Commonwealth Games, had won his heat in one minute 45.80 seconds.

The 30-year-old has run the 'A' standard but finished fourth in the British Olympic trial so must rely on the selectors if he is to picked alongside Andrew Osagie.

Cardiff Discus thrower Brett Morse, 23, fell out of European contention, damaging his London 2012 hopes.

Morse recorded a season's best 62.27 metres to finish second in the discus final at the trials in Birmingham. He has until 1 July to throw the Olympic qualifying standard of 65.00 metres to guarantee his place in the team.

Pole Vaulter Sally Peake, who finished joint-second at the Olympic trials on the weekend, failed to reach the final in Helsinki and again failed to reach the qualifying standard of 4.50m.

FULL GB EUROPEAN SQUAD:

Men

100m: Harry Aikines-Aryeetey, Mark Lewis-Francis

200m: Chris Clarke, Danny Talbot

400m: Richard Buck, Luke Lennon Ford

800m: Mukhtar Mohammed, Gareth Warburton

1500m: James Brewer, Tom Lancashire

5000m: Mo Farah, Rory Fraser, Mitch Goose

10,000m: Keith Gerrard, James Walsh

3000m steeplechase: Luke Gunn, Rob Mullett, James Wilkinson

110m hurdles: Richard Alleyne, Gianni Frankis, William Sharman

400m hurdles: Rhys Williams, Nathan Woodward, Rick Yates

High jump: Robbie Grabarz, Samson Oni, Tom Parsons

Pole vault: Luke Cutts, Max Eaves, Andrew Sutcliffe

Long jump: JJ Jegede, Julian Reid, Chris Tomlinson

Triple jump: Larry Achike

Shot put: Carl Myerscough

Discus throw: Abdul Buhari, Brett Morse, Lawrence Okoye

Hammer throw: Mark Dry

Decathlon: Ashley Bryant

4x100m: Aikines-Aryeetey, Dwain Chambers, Tyrone Edgar, James Ellington, Christian Malcolm, Danny Talbot

4x400m: Buck, Michael Bingham, Lennon Ford, Nigel Levine, Rob Tobin, Conrad Williams

Women

100m: Jeanette Kwakye, Ashleigh Nelson,

200m: Abi Oyepitan,

400m: Lee McConnell, Kelly Massey, Nicola Sanders

800m: Jenny Meadows, Lynsey Sharp, Jemma Simpson

1500m: Charlene Thomas

5000m: Julia Bleasdale, Helen Clitheroe, Stephanie Twell

10,000m: Jo Pavey, Charlotte Purdue, Gemma Steel

3000m steeplechase: Hatti Archer

400m hurdles: Meghan Beesley

High jump: Isobel Pooley

Pole vault: Sally Peake

Long jump: Abigail Irozuru, Shara Proctor

Shot put: Eden Francis

Discus throw: Francis, Jade Nicholls

Hammer throw: Sophie Hitchon, Sarah Holt

Javelin throw: Goldie Sayers, Laura Whittingham

4x100m: Montell Douglas, Hayley Jones, Kwakye, Nelson, Anyika Onuora

4x400m: Eilidh Child, Shana Cox, Massey, McConnell, Christine Ohuruogu, Sanders