SHERSTON athlete Andrew Harris is determined to make his mark at the United Kingdom Schools' Athletics Championships in three weeks, despite two operations for a knee injury last year.

Andrew, 16, a pupil at Malmesbury Upper School said: I'm confident about doing well, but I'm not sure I have recovered enough to compete for the gold medal. I'm just planning to jump as well as I can.

Andrew won a gold medal for triple jumping in the Under 15 class at the championships in 1998.

But he was prevented from repeating his success after he dislodged his knee-cap and tore a cartilage while playing a game of football at school in June last year.

He said: I was on crutches for four months. I was devastated that I couldn't defend my title. It feels really good when you're on top of the rostrum receiving a gold medal.

After two operations to repair the cartilage, Andrew began training again in January under the guidance of his coach, David Lease, who manages the British under-23 national athletics team.

Andrew said: I was determined to get back. I wanted to show everyone that I was strong enough, and that I could win again. I know I can get to the Olympic Games one day.

His perseverance paid off two weeks ago when he was crowned 100m and triple jump champion at the South West Schools meeting in Exeter.