Tom gets set for Games campaign

9:00am Thursday 14th August 2008

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TOM Lancashire begins his Olympic campaign tomorrow facing a stern test to progress through his heat.

The 23-year-old Bolton 1,500m star runs in the second of four heats at 12.19pm English time.

With 13 runners in his heat, and only the first five certain to go through, the Bolton Harrier must run the race of his life to reach the semi-finals.

Especially as his heat is loaded with some of the fastest men on earth at the distance.

Lancashire has shot onto the world scene this season with a personal best time of 3 minutes 35.33 and two outstanding victories in the Olso Golden League meeting and the British Olympic Trials.

Tomorrow he will find himself lining up against six runners who have all produced better times this season, including three serious challengers for medals.

The former Turton High School student from Bromley Cross will carry the hopes of the town on his slender shoulders when he lines up against the stellar field.

Along with cyclist Jason Kenny, he is one half of Bolton’s representatives in Beijing, and it would be a huge achievement if he made it through tomorrow’s heat into Sunday’s semi-final.

The five automatic qualifiers from the heats, will be joined by the four fastest losers.

Lancashire will line up tomorrow against Kenyan Asbel Kipruto Kiprop, who has run 3:31.64 this season, Spaniard Juan Carlos Higuero, who has a season’s best time of 3:32.57, and former Kenyan Bernard Lagat who is running for the USA and has won silver and bronze at the last two Olympics, has a personal best time of 3:26.34 and a season’s best marginally faster than Lancashire’s.

With tactics likely to be more important than times in the heats, Lancashire will not lack confidence despite the world class field.

He has proved to be tactically aware on the track this season and, combined with his rapid improvement, he says he is not at the Olympics just to make up the numbers.

“This will be by far the biggest race I will have been in,” he said before leaving for Beijing.

“It is going to be a race like nothing I will have run before.

“Hopefully I’ll do quite well, and I’ll be disappointed if I don’t do the best I can.”