OXFORD City triple jumper Nathan Douglas finished a distant eighth in Friday night’s Aviva London Grand Prix at Crystal Palace.

Douglas looked out of sorts and he managed only one legal jump of 16.00m, along with five no-jumps.

Christian Olsson, Sweden’s former Olympic World and European champion won the event with a leap of 17.41., while French sensation Teddy Tamgho was second with 17.27m.

Phillips Idowu who won the European Championship gold medal in Barcelona last month could manage only sixth with a best leap of 16.54m Conditions were far from ideal with the runway still damp following heavy rain earlier in the evening – resulting in 22 foul jumps out of 48.

Douglas said: “It is disappointing, but I am surprisingly very upbeat.

“Obviously five no-jumps was not what I wanted.

“But all of my no-jumps were well over 17 metres and I take confidence from that.

“It also shows where I am at. My whole season has been patchy, nursing me through and competition has almost been like training.

“Things are working and I am controlling a lot.

“If I keep this level, I will be able to put more speed on the runway and really go for it. Fingers crossed, things will come.”

Former Radley athlete Hatti Dean is scheduled to take part in the women’s 3,000m steeplechase on Saturday afternoon, where she has one eye on Helen Clitheroe’s UK record of 8mins 29.14 secs.