IT’S CRUNCH time for Robert Tobin and Charlotte Purdue’s London Olympic dreams, with both needing to produce good performances at the British trials.

The athletes will travel to Birmingham for the Aviva 2012 Trials and UK Championships this weekend, knowing that their hopes of competing at a home Olympics are in the balance.

For Old Basing 400m runner Tobin, the challenge is two-fold. In order to be sure of a place in the individual event, he must dip under the qualifying standard of 45.30sec and finish in the top two at the trials.

Neither is an easy task. The Basingstoke and Mid Hants runner, who has a season’s best of 45.47sec, has not recorded a time below 45.30sec in three years, while he admits that there are a lot of good athletes competing for a spot in the team.

“It’s a tough event this year,” he said. “Everyone seems to have upped their game so it will be an interesting few days.

“It is crunch time now but I am looking forward to it. I am excited rather than nervous and it should be a good weekend.

“I am feeling good. My performances are going in the right direction as I am running quicker now than I was earlier in the season.

“It’s just a case of going out, running the best I can and seeing what happens. That is all I can control.

“It would mean everything to me to run at the Olympics. I have been to two before but to run at home would be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

“The London Olympics have been a goal of mine for a few years so we will wait and see what happens.”

Tobin will compete in the heats at 2.10pm on Saturday, with the final taking place at 5.22pm on Sunday – but his Olympic dreams may not quite be over even if he is unable to satisfy both criteria.

The 28-year-old would get one last chance to gain the qualifying time and impress the selectors at next week’s European Championships, while a decent display in either would probably earn him a place in the relay squad.

Hook distance runner Purdue faces some tough decisions this weekend as she looks to secure her place at the 2012 Olympics.

The 21-year-old must choose to run in either the 10,000m, at 6.30pm on Saturday, or the 5,000m at 6pm the following day.

Purdue is yet to achieve the qualifying time in either event but seems to be favouring the longer discipline, which she will compete in at the European Championships.

“I think I have got the times in my legs and I could have two chances at the 10,000m, one this weekend and another at the European Championships,” she said. “I would rather do the 10,000m. All I have to do is run the time and I’ll get selected.

“With the 5,000m, I only have one chance. I’d need a top two finish and the time, and I’m not sure the race will be quick enough, so I’m sort of writing it off.

“It would be amazing to run in London but it’s a bit frustrating because I think maybe the Olympics have come around a year too soon for me, but I will do my best and we will see.”

A number of other north Hampshire athletes will join Tobin and Purdue at the trials. Brothers Kieran and Dean Showler-Davis have both entered the 100m and 200m, Andy Blow will compete in the 110m hurdles, Matthew Lavoipierre is down to run the 400m hurdles, and Mark Berridge will race in the 800m.