TOM Lancashire has two races in the next 48 hours to decide if he goes to the Olympics or not.

The Bolton Harrier must run 3mins 35.5secs in the 1500m in Lille tonight or in Prague on Monday night or he will sit out the London Games.

If he runs the time, he will become the third Bolton sports- man destined for this sum- mer’s Olympics, following cycling star Jason Kenny and water polo goalkeeper Ed Scott.

Bromley Cross man Lan- cashire was the number one 1500m runner in Great Britain when he competed at the last Olympics, and then represent- ed Great Britain at the World Championships, Common- wealth Games and European Championships.

His steady improvement put him 12th in the all-time British rankings and a regular on the world elite Golden League meetings.

But a year of illness and injury, including a T blood dis- order, looked to destroy his dreams of going to London 2012.

He had his first race for 18 months three weeks ago, when he clocked a disappointing 3:43.6.

With time rapidly running out for him, he was widely writ- ten off as an Olympic candi- date.

But a week later he put him- self back on the map by smash- ing more than five and a half seconds off that time.

That left the 26-year-old for- mer Turton High School pupil, needing to run another two and a half seconds faster – some- thing he could do easily up to 2010 – to qualify for the Olympics. He has two races in which to do that. the first in France tonight when he will race against the two men he hopes to join in a three-man GB 1500 team, Andy Baddeley and Ross Murray.

“I was looking to get into two races this weekend, and this was the one I really wanted,” he said.

“Badders (Baddeley) and Ross Murray are the only two British runners to have got the qualifying time, and when I heard they were in the race I was keen to get in there with them.

“I’m on an upward curve and them being in the race can push me on to a good time.

“I don’t think anyone else is going to get the qualifying time, so if I can get it, I feel confident I’ll be going (to the Olympics) regardless of what happens at the trials. But I have to get the time, and that’s the only thing I’m thinking of at the moment.”

Lancashire has renewed con- fidence in his form after the disappointment of that first run since his problems at Sportcity, Manchester, three weeks ago.

“That was a hard race, but it was my first one for nearly two years, so it wasn’t really sur- prising,” he added “My next one was really solid and I’ve had my biggest week of training ever – three great ses- sions. I’ve got a good chance and nothing to lose.”