TROWBRIDGE teenager Tom Gale’s remarkable rise has been rewarded with a place in Team England’s athletics squad for the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games.

The John of Gaunt student smashed personal best by six centimetres at the Wiltshire Track & Field Championships in May this year with a height of 2.20m.

The 18-year-old, then went on to add a staggering 10cm to his personal best when he cleared 2.30 at the CAU Inter-County Championships in Bedford, a height that would have seen him finish seventh at last year’s Rio Olympics.

Trowbridge sprinter Danny Talbot has also been included, the 26-year-old was part of Great Britain’s gold medal winning 4x100m relay team at the World Athletics Championships in London this summer Talbot, who is set to compete in both the 200m and relay, is one of 75 athletes to be included in the squad, which already contains 18 Commonwealth medals.

Team England Athletics Team Leader Martin Rush, claims the squad is a mix of both youth and experience, with Gale being one of those making a senior international debuts. 

“We at England Athletics are delighted to be sending this team to the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games," he said. 

"The team is a real blend of experience and youth, featuring a number of athletes who performed well at last summer’s IAAF World Championships, as well as some who are making their senior international championships debuts.”