Wigan's Harry Coppell on course for Olympics

The 23-year-old made a second-time clearance of 5.80m in Rouen, France, on Saturday.

The leap matched his personal best and saw him take second place in the event – beating Olympic champion, Braz da Silva, in the process.

Coppell is now at the top of the British rankings and he can take comfort from the fact he was only beaten at the weekend by the world champion, USA’s Sam Kendricks, who cleared 6.01m.

He has trained his sights on reaching this summer’s Games after injury ruled him out of his maiden World Championships in Doha last year.

He had qualified for Team GB by taking gold at the Muller British Athletics Championships in Birmingham in August. His latest success came just days after he was announced as a recipient of the 2020 Ron Pickering Memorial Fund.

The Wigan Harrier is one of 187 young athletes selected from nearly 500 applicants to share the £40,000 charity pot which provides financial support to the promising stars of the future.

The fund, now in its 29th year, was set up by the family of BBC athletics commentator Ron Pickering and to date has awarded over £2 million in grants to up-and-coming British athletes.

Notable past recipients of the RPMF include 200m world champion Dina Asher-Smith, sprinter Adam Gemili and Scottish middle-distance runner Laura Muir.

Reacting to the announcement on Twitter, the 23-year old said: “Thanks for your continued support! Helping get me ready for a big 2020.”

Before the weekend’s action, he got his season off to a flying start in France, winning a gold medal in Mandeville with a vault of 5.70m.