IN-FORM steeplechaser Remi Adebiyi sees no reason why he can’t medal on his Great Britain bow at the European Under-20 Championships in Boras, Sweden.

The Newport teenager competes in a British vest for the first time tomorrow morning when he bids to reach the final of the men’s 3000m steeplechase, which takes place on Sunday.

And while gold might be world-class Belgian Tim Van De Velde’s to lose, Adebiyi believes silver and bronze are very much up for grabs – and he is confident of claiming a place on the podium.

“My PB is now 9:01.61mins, but I feel there’s plenty more left in the tank,” he said.

“To be in with a chance of a medal I’ll probably have to run around seven seconds quicker.

“If it’s a tactical race, hopefully my sprint finish is good enough to get me a medal, and my kick is something I’ve been working on with a couple of sprints at the end of my sessions.

“I don’t know a lot about the other entrants, other than the Belgian athlete is miles faster than anyone else, but there’s not too much between the second and eighth fastest on paper.

“There could be five or six people fighting for the other two medals, and championship races can be slow, so it could be a real scrap at the end.”

He added: “My aim is to win a medal, and I definitely back myself.

“I’m confident – 100 per cent.”

Newport Harriers ace Adebiyi, trained by Darryn McAtee, is predominantly known as a 1500m runner.

He won the senior Welsh indoor title over the distance earlier this year and last month became Welsh schools champion for the second time in three years.

Before this season, he didn’t have an official personal best for the 3000m steeplechase, and it was only three days before the European trials that his focus switched to qualifying for that event.

“I thought I was competing in the 1500m then the Great Britain team manager said he wanted me to do the steeplechase,” he said.

“I ran 9:14.06mins at the trials in Bedford and didn’t have a good race, and then a week later I ran 9:01.61mins in Watford to get the qualifying time.

“The first time I ran the steeplechase over 3000m was in March and I did it in 9:27.70. I was almost on the floor at the end and didn’t think there was much room for improvement.

“Surprisingly, I felt better after the race in Watford having gone 26 seconds quicker.”

Family members including dad Owolabi will be cheering him on at Ryavallen Athletic Stadium tomorrow, just a few weeks after the youngster completed his A-level exams in maths, further maths and economics, while also doing the Welsh Baccalaureate.

Providing he gets the results he needs, Adebiyi will be off to Bath University in the autumn to study maths alongside his athletics.