Gavin Thompson has a lot to thank a mystery supporter for after clinching his place in the Great Britain team for the World Cross Country Championships.

Thompson was languishing in seventh place at the UK Inter Counties Championships in Nottingham on Saturday when an onlooker reminded him he needed a top three finish to make the British squad.

That was all the encouragement the Crawley AC runner required as he stormed through the field over the last 3k to finish third and set up a senior international debut in Lyon next weekend.

Thompson, 24, said: "I'm delighted because making the team was my goal at the start of the season but I was not happy with the way I ran.

"I fell asleep halfway through the race and it was only when someone shouted out that we were on the last lap and I still had a chance that I woke up.

"I looked up and saw that the third place runner was not too far ahead of me and, fortunately, I caught him."

Thompson, from Uckfield, competed in the World Cross Country Championships as a junior three years in a row from 1996 to 1998 but has not attempted to qualify as a senior until this year because he is studying in America.

He flew back from East Michigan University to compete in Nottingham and was supposed to return on Sunday, only for the British selectors to rule it out.

Thompson said: "They were not happy about me flying so much in the build up to the world championships. My university say it is okay for me to do my lessons over the internet."

Crawley AC's Danielle Christmas missed out on a medal by four seconds as she finished fourth in the under-17 race.