WYCOMBE’S ALAN McKie ended a three-year wait for gold at the Aviva England Under-23 & Under-20 Championships – then immediately set his set his sights trumping the best Britain has to offer.

The 21-year-old WSEH high jumper travelled to Bedford with a score to settle having claimed under-23 bronze back in 2008 and silver in the same competition a year later.

And McKie finally got his hands on gold matching his season best jump of 2.10m to finish ahead of Phinehas Stewart in second and Dan Dunscombe in third.

McKie will now turn his attentions to this weekend’s Aviva European Trials and UK Championships and has vowed to upset the likes of Olympians Tom Parsons and Martyn Bernard.

He said: “I am really please to have finally won gold after years of trying.

“In the last three years I have gone from bronze to silver and now silver to gold.

“It feels great to finally take home first place and it is a relief to get the win – it is another competition I can tick off the list now.

“I am still going forward which is important especially going into the trials in Birmingham and I am looking to take a few scalps.

“This has given me a boost towards that and hopefully I can head there with confidence and pull off a good result.

“It is no secret that I have had a rough time with injury and each competition I do is just rebuilding after missing a lot of time.”

McKie was the favourite for gold in Bedford and barely looked troubled with his leap of 2.10m four centimetres better than Stewart and a further eight better than Dunscombe.

And while content with his performance McKie – who has a personal best of 2.21m set back in 2008 – is adamant bigger and better leaps lie ahead.

He said: “I am happy with my clearance of 2.10m and I have jumped that twice now but I am a little bit disappointed because I thought as though I should have hit 2.14m.

“I was getting close and had a few attempts at it but it just wasn’t to be – it is coming though. It is important that I am doing well and I build back and get better with each jump I do.

“I felt good in Bedford and I can’t wait to get out there again and prove to people what I can do.”

l Heroes project sponsored by Original Source is a successful initiative which offers financial support to talented young athletes who are working towards the 2012 and 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games.