WESTHOUGHTON skeleton rider Jack Thomas has been named in Great Britain's three-man squad for this month’s World Championships.

The 26-year-old former Horwich RMI sprinter earned a shock promotion to the World Cup team this season and has not disappointed, claiming his fifth straight top-20 finish at Igls in Austria on Friday.

He clocked the seventh fastest start time, and after going half a second faster in his second run moved up a place to finish 19th.

After racing for the past four weekends, Thomas will now head out for a training camp with the British team before making his debut in the World Championships at Königssee in Germany on Friday, February 24.

"It will be another different experience for me as the World Championships are over four runs, like the Olympic format, rather than the two we have in the World Cup races," he said.

"We also have a day off in the middle of the competition, with two runs on the first day and two on the second, and there will be a much bigger field, with every country allowed at least one rider.

"So I am really looking forward to the experience as a whole and I plan to give it everything I have got."

The British team will also include number one rider Dominic Parsons, who races alongside Thomas in the World Cup squad, and Intercontinental Cup slider Jerry Rice.

"Me and Jerry have been room-mates for the last four years so there is a big rivalry there," Thomas added.

"We actually made our World Cup debuts last year at the Königssee track that will host the World Championships and we did the same time on the first run, down to 100th of a second.

"So it will be great to race alongside him on this stage, and I will be doing everything in my power to make sure he doesn't beat me."

While Thomas' inter-team rivalry should add a little spice to proceedings, the Bolton athlete will not allow it to take away focus from his main goal - a place in the top 10.

So far in seven World Cup races the best finish he has managed has been 15th, in Altenberg, Germany.

But, with one of the fastest starts in World Cup competition, Thomas is confident it is only a matter of time before he moves up the rankings.

"I have not actually noticed a massive difference between the Europa Cup races I was competing in and the top level," he said.

"The speeds riders go down the course are pretty similar, but World Cup is all about consistency.

"There is absolutely no margin for error - you make a mistake, you get punished.

"I have been right up there with my starts, so I have been in the mix, but I am yet to do a perfect run.

"I have made at least one mistake in every run so far, but I am getting more and more experience and more and more track time, which is the key to ironing out those mistakes.

"I obviously raced in the World Cup at Königssee last year and again just a few weeks ago, and I will have another week of training on the track under my belt before the World Championships.

"All of that adds up, so if I can use that experience to cut out the mistakes and put in four perfect runs then I am sure a top-10 place is within my grasp."