Claire Smithson admits she may snub the chance to compete at the European Championships after clinching her first senior gold medal at the AAAs Championships.

Smithson boosted her prospects of being selected for the Great Britain team which will fly to Gothenburg in three weeks' time by winning the discus at Manchester's SportCity on Sunday.

The 22-year-old from Portslade broke her own Sussex record with a throw of 56.15m in the final round of the competition which also doubled as the European trials.

Her winning throw was short of the elite standard required to gain automatic selection for the British team but met the qualifying distance for developing athletes.

The Brighton and Hove City athlete must wait until next Friday to discover whether she will get the nod but is unsure whether she can afford to go to Sweden anyway.

Smithson said: "If I get picked it would force me to make a difficult decision. I really want to go because it would be an amazing experience but I've just started a new job and need the money.

"I don't get a penny from UK Athletics after they dropped me from their Lottery funding in October so I can't really afford to lose a week's wages.

"It does annoy me when I see some of the other athletes who are getting financial help when they don't really deserve it while I'm struggling to pay off my debts. If it wasn't for the local pub, the Cricketers Arms, who sponsored me when I lost my Lottery funding then things would be worse.

"If I was a sprinter or a long jumper I would probably still be getting funding but throwers seem to be overlooked because we are not glamorous enough."

Smithson took an early lead with an opening effort of 52.38m but despite improving with throws of 53.03m and 54.92m she went into the final round in second place behind Kara Nwidobie.

But she saved her best for last and then faced a nerve-racking wait as Nwidobie and UK No. 1 Phillipa Roles failed to stop her completing a full house of AAAs title at every age group from under-15 upwards.

Smithson added: "My legs were feeling a bit heavy because I had only flown up on the morning of the competition to save money and I think that affected my earlier throws.

"But I really went for it in the last round and I was a little surprised it wasn't even further because I have been throwing 57m-plus in training at Withdean.

"What pleased me most was that I produced the goods when I was under a lot of pressure and that bodes well for the future. It was also great to finally break the 56m barrier and, hopefully, now I can push on."

Tim Bayley also faces a anxious wait by the phone to discover whether he will be on his way to Sweden after squeezing every ounce of energy out of his legs to snatch bronze in the 800m.

The 24-year-old from Brighton looked out of contention coming into the final straight but managed to find a little extra to pass Richard Hill and claim third in 1min.47.98sec.

Winner Michael Rimmer and runner-up Sam Ellis guaranteed their places in the British squad but Bayley is hopeful he has done enough to convince the selectors he should join them.

The Phoenix athlete said: "I knew that if I came fourth my season was over so I gave it everything I had to ensure I got that bronze.

"I spoke to a couple of the selectors and told them I really think I could do something at the Europeans so, hopefully, they will agree and give me that chance.

"Although I was disappointed not to be picked for the Commonwealth Games after winning the AAAs title last year I accept I maybe didn't deserve it but I feel my credentials are a lot better now."

Racheal Ogden claimed an impressive fourth place in the 1,500m. The Worthing and District Harrier produced a strong finish to cross the line in 4min.12.60sec - just outside her season's best.

Haywards Heath's Duncan Malins was fifth in the final of the sprint hurdles in 13.92sec while Steyning AC's Nick Ball set a personal best of 21min.56.99sec to come fifth in the 5,000m race walk.