TWINELLE Hopeson has set her sights on the British Universities Indoor Championships (BUCS) in eight days time after a fifth-placed finish in her first UK senior championships.

Her first aim at last weekend's event in Sheffield was to make the 200m final.

That she did, then the Loughborough sports science student, a member of Croydon Harriers, finished fifth in 24.77 seconds.

Her time was 0.01 off her season's best and quicker than her times this time last year.

Hopeson said: "I was happy to get a final spot. It was my first senior indoor trials, so it was just good to see what I can do.

"The heats didn't go too well and I wasn't hopeful, but I got into the final on times."

Last winter she spent much time battling injury and she added: "I was happy to finish not injured. I would have liked to have gone a little bit faster, but overall I'm happy."

The summer and the Olympics in London looms, but first there is another target.

"I'm hoping to finish my indoor season at the BUCS indoor championship with a season's best," she said. That event will also be held in Sheffield.

Then her training group, under Jared Deacon, will head to Portugal for warm weather training to prepare for the summer.

"It's 2012 and an Olympic year. It would be nice to be considered for that," said Hopeson, who has enjoyed age-group international call-ups in the past. And with Britain likely to send a different sprinting team to the European Championships to that for the Olympics, which happen just a few weeks after, the aim is to be ready if called.

"At the Europeans it would be nice to run either in the relay team or in the relays," she said.

The BUCS outdoor championships will be held at the Olympic Stadium, as the one test event, and Hopeson intends to be there.

"There's going to be tight competition for spots for the Loughborough team, that's why it would be a really good achievement to go there," she reasoned.

There will also, she vows, be turnouts for the Harriers. "You can take the girl out of Croydon, but you can't take Croydon out of the girl."