ERME Valley Harriers athlete Will Battershill set a new personal best for the 3,000m steeplechase at a top meeting in America over the weekend.
Battershill, who is still in the under-20 age group, knocked more than four seconds of his previous best time and is now close to breaking the magic nine-minute barrier.
The former Ivybridge Community College pupil, who is in his first year studying at Harvard University, clocked 9:02.14 at the Stanford Cardinal Classic in California.
That puts his sixth in the current UK senior men’s rankings and in the same position on Harvard’s all-time best list.
The Great Britain junior international was eighth in the race, won by California’s Takeshi Okada in 8:53.35.
Battershill, who is the UK’s top under-20 steeplechaser, was not the only Erme Valley Harrier competing at the Stanford Cardinal Classic.
Sam Trigg also took part, but only in the long jump and not his specialist triple jump event.
Trigg jumped 7.00m in the long jump to finish 10th.