TOM Lancashire is confident he can complete his return to top level athletics by competing in his second Olympic Games in two years.

And the Bolton middle distance ace who ran at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, has revealed he is stepping up from the 1500m to 5,000m.

Bolton Harrier Lancashire's career has stalled in recent years due to illness and injury problems.

Up to 2010 he vied with Andy Baddeley for Britain's number one 1500m runner status, had competed at the Olympics, World Championships, European Championships and Commonwealth Games and was a regular on the elite Diamond League international circuit.

The Bromley Cross man, who is now 29, has finally rid himself of the the health and injury issues which have constantly set him back in recent years and is back running impressively.

Earlier this month he won his first Great Britain senior vest at the European Cross Country Championships in Bulgaria where he finished third of Britain's six-strong team.

He also impressed in the qualifying trials a few weeks earlier and, just prior to that, in a 10k at Leeds.

Having taken the decision to move up to 5k – in which fellow Brit Mo Farah rules the world – as well as switch coaches from Norman Poole to Steve Vernon, he is aiming to achieve a career highlight over the next couple of years.

"Everything is geared towards qualifying for Rio and making the final of the 5,000m, and also to qualify for the World Championships," said the former Turton High School student.

"I have run 13 minutes 34 [seconds] and the qualifying time is about 13:20 so I know I am capable of it.

"And I have been very pleased with my improvement. I ran a 10k on the road at Leeds that was fairly tough and I was very happy with my performance.

"Almost immediately after that I felt I had turned a corner and I have moved on in the last few weeks."