SPRINT champion Dean Ferris is making impressive strides in the British Athletics League.

The St Antony's Catholic College flyer won the Trafford and Manchester titles as a 15-year-old last year and is now making his mark in the adult British Athletics League.

Competing for Longford Athletics Club, the 16 year-old, who sits nine GCSEs next month, came second in both the 100m and 200m and fourth in the high jump in a national club meeting in Crawley.

Dean, 16, from Stretford, said: “My first goal is to qualify for the English Schools' Athletics Championships but in the longer term I'd really like to run for team GB.”

He added: “I've just started practising the 110m hurdles and it's been encouraging so far, but there is a long road ahead.”

Dean trains four times each week under Derek Fraser's tutelage at Longford spending two hours each session and says the secret to success is simple: “If you want to run fast you have to train hard, but particularly at my age it's important not to over train as well.”

After leaving the Urmston church school in the summer Dean hopes to study law, psychology and chemistry at Loreto College and wants to study law or a related subject at university.

St Antony's deputy headteacher, Paul Giblin, said: “Dean steals the show when he runs for school. H

"He simply obliterates the opposition when he flies down the straight. It's a fantastic sight and we all hope he will realise all that fabulous potential in the future.”