CITY of Plymouth Athletic Club’s Simon Anderson successfully defended his European Indoor Masters 1,500m title in Italy at the weekend.

Anderson won the over-50 race in Poland last year and topped the podium again in that age group in Ancona.

Representing Great Britain, he clocked 4:20.60 in the final, having eased through the heats with 4:33.10.

Anderson, who coaches many of Plymouth’s top young middle distance runners, also won a bronze in the 3,000m in Ancona, with a time of 9:14.77. He was just a second behind his Great Britain team-mate Ben Reynolds who claimed that title.

In a busy few days in Italy, Anderson also ran in the 800m. He won his heat in 2:10.51, but that final came the day after his 3,000m race and he finished ninth.