VETERAN athlete Tony Bowman is over the moon after breaking a record at the world championships in Australia.

Tony, 65, of The Poplars, Guiseley, has just returned home from last month's World Veteran Athletics Championships held in Brisbane.

The runner and hurdler picked up two silver medals and one bronze - and broke the British record for the 300 metre hurdles.

The retired probation officer, he said: "I am absolutely over the moon, my ambition was just to get to a final, so I'm absolutely delighted."

A member of Leeds City Athletic Club Tony also reached the final of the 100 metres and the semi-finals of the 400 metres.

He should have won a second bronze medal in the 4 x 400 metre relay but the team was disqualified for a faulty changeover.

Following the ten day competition - billed as a mini Olympics and attended by 400 other athletes from the UK and thousands from across the world - Tony travelled on to Cairns in Australia for a holiday.

"There was a fantastic atmosphere at the championships. Brisbane is a wonderful place, it's a modern, clean city and people were very friendly.

"We then went on to Cairns and did some snorkelling and saw the crocodiles in the tropical rain forests, it was fantastic."

His next competition will be the European championships in Potsdam, Germany, due to take place next summer.

l See our full athletics round-up on page 30 where we carry the news of all the local athletics clubs.