WILL Crisp heads into the England Athletics U20 Indoor Championships in Sheffield this weekend with high hopes of an 800m medal after a startling performance in the senior event, writes KEVIN FAHEY.

Invited to the Great Britain Indoor Championships, incorporating the trials for the World Championships in Birmingham last weekend, the 18-year-old Swindon Harrier set a personal best of 1mins 50.42secs.

That carved over two seconds from his previous indoor best and clipped 0.48secs off his outdoor best, shooting him to the top of the UK Indoor rankings for U20 men, two seconds quicker than his nearest rival.

Moreover, Crisp’s performance in the heats was good enough for a spot in the final – the youngest man in the line-up – where he ran bravely against vastly more experienced rivals to finish fifth.

Harriers coach Bryan Clinton said: “We just weren’t expecting Will to make the final so we were over the moon.

“It was his first time at the senior championships and he was absolutely bouncing when he heard that he had also made the final. I can’t remember the last time we saw a Swindon Harriers vest in a national athletics final but it would be a long time ago.

“It was a big lift for us all to see Will in that final and for him personally it was a fantastic experience to be running alongside people who previously he used to look up to.”

The trick now for Crisp, who lives at Hinton Parva near Wanborough, is to reproduce that form in his own age group championships this weekend.

“Naturally Will was feeling a little tired after running heats and a final last weekend so this week is all about maintenance and getting his legs going again,” added Clinton.

“That time has taken him up a level now and I have no doubt that outdoors he will be running close to 1mins 48sec and will have a good chance of getting the qualifying time of 1:48.25 for the World Junior Championships.

“As for this weekend, we have to be going to Sheffield expecting to win a medal only now Will has a big target on his back.

“If his rivals didn’t know about him before then they will after that run last week, so we may need to come up with a new plan to surprise everyone. But I think we can say we are feeling quietly confident.”

Meanwhile in America Clinton’s son Nyle, also a member of the Harriers and on a sports scholarship at Bradley University, a ran a personal best of 4mins 24.12secs for an indoor mile.

Clifton said: “Nyle ran the race on a flat 300m track indoors which was a strange experience.”