IT has taken a while for Will Crisp’s season to reach top gear but the 16-year-old Swindon Harrier is at last showing his true form.

The demands of GCSE exams meant Crisp had a low-key start to the summer but once his academic responsibilities were behind him, he stepped up the training and the results stared to flow, culminating in a brilliant silver medal in the U17 boys' 800m at the England Athletics Championships in Bedford last weekend.

“I was not expecting that at all,” said Crisp, who lives in Hinton Parva, near Wanborough.

“To be honest, I have not had a great season as I was revising hard for my exams and that was my priority. But they went well so it was worth it.”

Crisp seems to be blessed with a sharp brain as well as quick feet as his GCSE results confirmed last week, which included 11 A stars, four As and also one A Level taken a year early.

With that boost, it was little wonder that a couple of days later he won his first England Athletics medal to complement the bronze in the junior boys’ 800m from the 2014 English Schools’ Championships.

“I definitely had a good week,” added Crisp.

Crisp showed a blistering turn of pace at Bedford after a pedestrian first lap and proved that even after curtailing his training programme, his natural talent marks him out as one of the most talented middle distance runners in the country.

“I knew that if Will was there or thereabouts with 150m to go, he would be in with a chance of a medal as he has great speed,” said coach Bryan Clinton.

Crisp’s time of 1min 55.27secs was just outside his personal best of 1:54.70, which he set last month when finishing fifth in the English Schools’ Championships.

“I would love to try and beat that before the end of the season and move up the UK Rankings (he is currently eighth in the UK under 17 rankings and top in the South West), and I’ll have a chance this weekend at the UK School Games in Loughborough,” said Crisp.

“It has been a slow start to the season for me but Bedford definitely made up for it and it will be good to take that form into the winter when I will have to decide whether to do cross country or go indoors.”

Fellow Harrier Abbie Chaundy equalled her personal best of 5.58m to win the long jump B event at the London Inter-Club Challenge on Saturday.

The 19-year-old from Fairford moved up to third in the South West under 20 rankings, just ahead of clubmate Abby Miles (5.55m).