STROUD’S Tom Curr has vowed to show he has the legs for longer distances by climbing the podium at the Aviva English Schools’ Track and Field Championships.

The 17-year-old had hoped to race in the 3,000m at Birmingham’s Alexander Stadium but having only done one race over the distance this year will line up in the 1500m instead.

Curr - from Oakridge Lynch - has been making progress over 1500m this summer lowering his personal best to 3:50.13minutes in May and finishing sixth at the England Under-23 & Under-20 Championships.

And while Curr admits his heart lies in the 3,000m and above the Stroud and District AC ace has promised to show his progress by coming out on top in the 1500m.

“I’m going to be doing the 1500m at the English Schools’, my strongest one usually is the 3,000m but I haven’t really done many of those this year,” said Curr, who will be cheered on by Aviva ambassador Dame Kelly Holmes.

“The thing with the 3,000m is that it is not very glamorous but at the same time I am probably a little young still to do the 5,000m.

“I would eventually like to run like Bernard Lagat and do the 5,000m and the 1500m so at the moment I am just working towards that.

“The English Schools’ has really always been the main focus of my year and I have been building towards the 1500m in that so I am expecting a good show.

“I feel like I am capable of running around 3.45.00 but at the moment I just haven’t quite had that race yet this year.

“Hopefully at the English Schools’ I might have the chance to do it which would be good and it would make me feel like I am progressing.”

Curr will wind down after the English Schools’ Track and Field Championships with his sights set on making the British team for the World Junior Cross Country Championships in Spain in March.

The Stroud teenager missed out on a place on the plane to Poland last year and has vowed to do all he can to ensure history doesn’t repeat itself.

“After the English Schools I am really hoping to go to the World Junior Cross Country Championships because last year I didn’t think I had a chance to go but I wasn’t that far off,” he added.

“The top six make the team and I am a year older this year and out of the people who are still eligible this year I would have come fourth.

“So that is an aim for me later in the season but right now I am looking at the English Schools and looking for a performance.”

Aviva Ambassador, Dame Kelly Holmes, will be attending this weekend’s Aviva English Schools Track & Field Championships. Aviva is committed to giving every child in the UK the opportunity to get involved in athletics by 2012. For more information go to aviva.co.uk/athletics