TOM Lancashire edged closer to the Olympic qualifying time with his fastest run for six years on Sunday.
The Bolton 1500m runner, who represented Great Britain at the Olympic Games in 2008, clocked an impressive 3mins 37.77secs at the Birmingham Diamond League meeting.
It was just 1.27secs outside the qualifying standard for this summer's Games in Rio as the 30-year-old Bolton Harrier continued to get back to his career-best form of 2010 when he was British number one.
Lancashire, a former Turton High School pupil from Bromley Cross, has suffered with injury and illness which set his career back after representing his country at all the major championships and elite global meetings earlier in his career.
Sunday's race was only his second high-profile 1500m outing of the season, following an encouraging 3:39.95 run in Ostrava a fortnight ago.
He looked strong throughout Sunday's race in a top-class field in which the winner – the 2008 Olympic champion – Asbel Kiprop, won in the fastest time ever recorded in Britain, 3:29.33.
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