JAX THOIRS has set his sights on landing the UK pole vault record with the Scot claiming it's only a matter of time before he raises the bar.
The Glaswegian, 22, will make victory at this weekend's UK Championships in Birmingham his top priority with a clearance of 5.65 metres - equal to his Scottish record - likely to be enough to guarantee him a world championship berth in Beijing next month.
But Thoirs, currently competing at the University of Seattle in Washington, intends to take aim at Steve Lewis' mark of 5.82m which has stood untouched since 2012.
"I'd like to think the really big jump is coming any time now," said Thoirs, who made his GB&NI debut at last month's European Team Championships in Russia. "It's there. It's just about finding consistency. I can jump high. It's just getting rid of the inconsistency. For every good jump I have, I get two bad ones. If I get that run, I can go for the high bar."
Life in Seattle has been a boon, Thoirs insists, after opting out of the British system to accept a scholarship Stateside where he combines training and the NCAA circuit with his degree in sociology. It was a gamble at the time to uproot from Glasgow to throw himself into a regular series of meetings in the mainly California-based Pac-12 conference. But it has taken two years to truly immerse himself into life overseas.
"I thought I'd fitted in for the first year, but I suddenly realised I had a lot of settling in still to do," he said. "It takes a long time to get a handle on it. Coming from Scotland to America, they're not all that different. But there are definitely little things that you need to get your head round. Nothing you can pinpoint. Just small subtle things, from going to somewhere that has a different feel. Now they understand me OK. Now I feel like I can call both Glasgow and Seattle home."
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