ALEX Carter can’t wait for the New Year to get underway after 2014 ended in disappointing fashion.

To say that Carter’s first term as a student on a sports scholarship in America has be low key would be a huge understatement – at least on the athletics front.

The Wales international, from Winsley, hasn’t raced once in anger for Iona University since moving to the east coast in the autumn and for his last competitive outing one has to go back to August 9 when he won the Southwick Country Park Parkrun.

Before that he raced only three times on the track in a very quiet summer season so it is little wonder that the 18-year-old former St Laurence School student has been left feeling frustrated by the lack of progress.

“The university ‘red-shirted’ me for cross country in my first year which meant I couldn’t race for them,” said Carter.

“The coach reckoned it would be better for me to be eligible to race in my last year (there are restrictions on how long foreign athletes can represent their university).

“But I should be racing indoors when I get back in the New Year and my first event looks like being at the Armoury in New York.

“It will be great to be back in action.”

First Carter will need the all-clear to start racing again after struggling with a thigh injury for the past few months.

While he has resumed training the nature of the injury means it won’t be severely tested until he starts racing at high speed.

“I picked up a problem with my quad muscles which unfortunately was linked to the stress fracture I suffered in the summer,” added Carter. “When I was injured I did a lot of work on the stationary bike and my quads became really tight.

“I had massages in America but that didn’t cure the problem.

“Since I have been home I have had a course of acupuncture and that has really made a difference.

“The injury has been feeling a lot better and I should be ready to start racing again.”

Carter said he will tackle the mile and 3000m on the indoor circuit, which is given considerable importance on the US collegiate circuit.

If he comes through that unscathed it will then be straight onto the outdoors before returning to Wiltshire in the summer.