7:31pm Tuesday 10th July 2007
By Neil Bonnar
TOM Lancashire is hoping to make a late bid for a place at next month's World Athletics Championships.
The Bolton middle distance star has an outside chance of representing his country for the first time at senior level in a competition second only to the Olympics in prestige.
But he accepts the odds are stacked against him after only recently returning from university in America and having his preparations hampered by fatigue.
The World Championships take place in Osaka, Japan, next month, but Lancashire has only two races available to him to make the selectors sit up and take notice.
It is a tall order - but Lancashire, who turned 22 last week - is one of the country's most talented emerging runners.
Last year, he ran a personal best of 1min 45.76secs for 800m, which was exactly a second behind the time Sebastian Coe ran to win European Championship bronze - and Coe was 10 months older.
Lancashire built on that success in his final season on the American college circuit throughout the winter and spring before he was forced off the track for a period at the end of the season with fatigue.
"I couldn't shake it off," he said. "I was checked out and there was no virus so it was just a case of resting.
"It was disappointing because I was going really well. I ran personal bests at 3k and 5k, which is usually a really good sign in terms of my strength."
He completed the last of his four years at Florida University last week and returned to his family home in Bromley Cross for the summer to step up his training ahead of the AAAs Championships at the end of this month.
A couple of weeks of rest have put the strength back in his legs and he is pleased with his progress in training. But the World Championships could be coming too quickly for him to peak in time.
"I'm really happy with the way things are going in training and the World Championships remain my ultimate goal for this season," he said.
"But, realistically, I know it is going to be very difficult for me."
To qualify for the Great Britain team at 1,500m, Lancashire would have to run the qualifying time of 3mins 36secs, which is almost three seconds faster than his personal best, and then produce a spectacular performance at the AAA's at Manchester's SportCity which are the qualifiers for the World Championships.
He has his first chance to get a good time when he races at the British Milers Club Grand Prix meeting in Solihull a week on Saturday.
"There will be pacemakers and a lot of good runners in the field, so there's a chance of getting a good time," he said. "Then the week after it's the AAAs."
A more realistic target for the season could be the World Student Championships in Bangkok in August, at which he will compete if he fails to make the World Championships.
Whatever happens between now and the end of the season, Lancashire is confident he will progress and justify his place on the British world class potential programme, which provides funding and facilities.
"I was taught at an early age by my coach at Bolton Harriers that athletics is a building process and you don't become a world champion overnight.
"I have my goals that I want to achieve. I want to run at the Olympics and World Championships and I know I will carry on improving which is very exciting."
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