JACK Thomas's Olympic ambitions have been given a massive boost after the Westhoughton skeleton slider was picked for the British World Cup team.

It is a big step up for the 26-year-old former Horwich RMI Harriers sprinter, after previously competing in the Europa Cup – the third-tier of the international circuit.

He earned his selection for the two-man squad after impressing during a recent Team GB qualifying event in Lillehammer, Norway.

Thomas will now test himself against the world's best sliders when the eight-race season starts at Whistler in Canada on December 2.

"I am so fired up for this it is untrue," he said.

"Whistler is the fastest, most dangerous skeleton course in the world, so it will be quite an introduction.

"Hurtling down an ice slide head first at 90 miles an hour tends to put fire in your belly.

"But the improvements I have made over the past year have given me the confidence to believe I belong at this level."

The ex-Westhoughton High School pupil has gradually worked his way up the British rankings since being picked up by Team GB in 2011 through a talent-search scheme called Power2Podium.

He had never stepped foot on a skeleton slope when he first caught the selectors' eye, but Thomas's athletic ability, most notably his explosive start, was deemed a perfect match.

The young Boltonian moved to the British training centre in Bath for a crash course in the sport and made his big breakthrough in 2014 when he won his first Europa Cup event at St Moritz.

A persistent nose problem, which involved explosive nose bleeds mid-competition, blighted his progress.

But with Thomas consistently setting world class times for his start, right up there with the very best in the sport, the promise was always there.

And after surgery fixed his injury issues, the budding Olympian's driving skills have slowly improved, catapulting him to the top level of the sport at the best possible time.

"My target has always been to make the British team for the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea," he said.

"I always knew if I was going to be able to do that, and be competitive when I got there, then I would have to spend at least one season in World Cup competition.

"It didn't look like that was going to happen as I was still competing in the Europa Cup last season.

"But something clicked earlier this year. My driving started to become more consistent, I was managing to maintain that speed I have always generated at the start and my times started to tumble.

"The selectors saw that and gave me a guest slot at the final World Cup race of last season.

"In my first run I had the fourth best start in the whole competition, and I ended up 14th, which is pretty good for a first try at the top level.

"I have managed to maintain that form, and after three runs out of four at Lillehammer (in the British qualifying event) I was just a few tenths down on Dominic Parson (the eventual winner).

"I broke the course record for the start in my third run, but suffered what turned out to be a slight tear in my calf doing it.

"It meant I had to pull out of the final run, but I was seconds ahead of the third-placed guy when I got injured.

"I had to sweat it out a bit, because I ended up finishing last after not being able to complete my final run, but the selectors awarded me the World Cup place anyway."

The breakthrough result, which has seen Thomas bypass the Intercontinental Cup competition, which is normally the next step in the ladder, comes with an added bonus.

"The final race of the season will be at the new Olympic track in Pyeongchang," he said.

"It will be the test event for the track. No-one has ever ridden it before, so to be given the chance to do that will give me a massive advantage over anyone else coming through.

"It means that effectively I am now in the box seat for Olympic qualification for the British team.

"At present, we only have two skeleton places for Pyeongchang, so that place is mine to lose.

"My aim now is to make it through the World Cup season, try to finish in the top three for average starts and build up my experience at the highest level.

"If I can do that while staying fit and healthy, I believe I will be in the perfect position to compete for a podium place when the Olympics come around."