SOMETHING significant happened to Tom Gale on his return to the Loughborough International Games this year.

Twelve months on from his debut for Great Britain U20s as the rookie in the team the 18-year-old, from Trowbridge, realised he had moved from the supporting cast to hogging centre stage.

The top four jumpers, including Gale, all ended up tied on 2.22m having all failed at the next height of 2.26m, which is the England qualifying standard for the Commonwealth Games in Brisbane early next year.

On the countback rule used in high jump – which takes into account failure at lower heights – Gale eventually had to settle for a share of third with Matt Roberts while equal first place was shared by Mike Edwards and Allan Smith – currently fifth and third in the UK senior rankings.

Third place in such good company as very creditable but that wasn’t the significant moment.

“It is the first time I have gone to a competition and held my own against senior rivals and that was a great experience,” said Gale.

“We all failed at 2.22m and it was suggested we should raise the bar to 2.24m but I said what’s the point of that, we might as well go straight to 2.26.

“It was pretty mental to think we were attempting the Commonwealth Games qualifier and while I didn’t get the height it was pretty cool to be just trying.

“It was a really good competition.”

Gale’s rapid rise from raw wannabee to seasoned British junior international with one eye now on the top seniors has been remarkable in the past year.

“In this meeting last year I was sixth with 2.09 so 13cms is quite a difference,” added Gale.

It certainly is and just to underline the quality of Gale’s jump – which he had cleared for the first time just the week before to win the Wiltshire Championships at Tidworth – it puts him top of the current European rankings for U20 men while he is placed second in the world.

Gale will be back in action again at the Bedford International Games on Bank Holiday Monday.

Also at Loughborough Trowbridge Tornado Danny Talbot ran a personal best of 10.13secs to finish runner-up in the 100m but sadly for him the wind was just fractionally over the legal limit at 2.1m/s.

Marshfield’s former British junior international Loren Bleaken was fourth (56.76secs) in the women’s 400m B race.