Parbold sprinter hoping Commonwealth showing is the platform to bigger things

Elliot Jones hopes a sparkling summer of sprinting can help him ditch his day job and chase his dreams of being a professional athlete

.Jones was a late call-up to contest the individual 100m for England at the Commonwealth Games but earned plenty of admirers in Glasgow.

The Wigan athlete ran 10.07s in his heat but could not follow that up in the semi-final, running 10.19 in torrential rain at Scotstoun Stadium.

Jones refused to blame the rain for his time and insisted the best is still yet to come.

The 28-year-old trains part-time alongside working for UEFA but hopes he can continue to impress and become a full-time athlete at the end of the year.

“One of the biggest challenges is balancing athletics with work,” he said. “This is a message to all part-time athletes: we have to train to the same standard as full-time athletes while also working to earn a living.

“It's like doing two full-time jobs at once. It's tough, and it requires a huge amount of commitment.

“What gives me confidence is that people have seen what I'm capable of while balancing all those commitments.

“If I can perform at this level while juggling work and athletics, then I believe there's even more to come if I ever get the opportunity to focus on the sport full-time.

“Get used to seeing me. Watch this space. I'm determined to run very fast and keep progressing.”

Jones is competing at his first Commonwealth Games and only contested the 100m after Louie Hinchliffe withdrew on the eve of the competition.

The 28-year-old was forced to drop everything and make his way to Glasgow in time for Monday’s heats.

He grabbed plenty of headlines for his impressive run while a part-time athlete and he hopes the experience he has gained can lead to more major championship experiences in the future.

“I'm taking huge positives from this experience,” he said. “It's my first international appearance and I've done myself proud by qualifying for the semi-finals.

“I didn't run the race I wanted in the semi-final, but there are still a lot of positives to take away.“

One key skill I still have to learn is racing in championships on back-to-back days.

“Yesterday my adrenaline was through the roof and I received an incredible outpouring of support and congratulations.

“I'm very grateful for all of that, but as an athlete I need to learn how to manage those emotions, stay composed, recover properly, sleep well and come back the next day ready to perform even better.

“Overall, I'm over the moon with how the weekend has gone. I always want more, but I'll come back stronger.”

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