PLYMOUTH athlete Poppy Tank enjoyed an impressive debut over the 5,000m distance at a meeting in California.

The 19-year-old, who is studying at the University of Utah, finished third out of 144 competitors at the San Francisco State Distance Carnival.

Tank clocked 16:37.48 minutes which puts her into the top 10 of the early senior UK rankings. She is also currently the fastest British teenager over the distance in 2017.

Her time also ranks her seventh on the University of Utah all-time list.

The race in San Francisco received plenty of media coverage as it was won by American schoolgirl sensation Grace Ping, who set a world age group record and a new meet record with a time of 16:26.83.

Meanwhile, Tavistock athlete Jim Cole won his second half marathon within the space of two weeks.

Fresh from his victory at the Tavy13, Cole claimed the Taunton Half Marathon crown.

He clocked 71.37 minutes to finish nearly two minutes ahead of Bideford’s Brendan Patton, who took seond in 73.29.

Full results of the Taunton Half Marathon can be found HERE.