Delighted as he was to keep his title, the giant 19-year-old was some way off the qualifying distance for the U23 European championships.
Putting on a slow circle the former Highlands student won emphatically with 17.24m. But with GB having an extremely tough qualifying mark of 18.60m – only one U23 in Europe has made that distance so far this season – Stevenson must now pull out all the stops in next weekend’s British U23 and U20 championships in Bedford.
Stevenson’s personal best at the senior weight is 17.68m and it is hoped that a throw of over 18m would convince the selectors to send him to the Europeans for experience alone.
