EIGHTEEN-year-old Yorkshire athlete Luke Cutts produced a lifetime best of 5.30metres in the final of the pole vault at the World Junior Championships in Beijing.

Although Dearnside athlete Cutts finished in ninth place overall, 5.30m was the same height as the fourth-placed athlete and it represented an astonishing 15cm improvement on Cutts' previous personal best.

"It was awesome to go over 5.20m and I nearly cried when I went over 5.30 - that was unbelievable - I've really reached my peak at the right time of the season," said a delighted Cutts, who earlier this season won the bronze medal at the Norwich Union Senior Indoor AAAs.

Another great performance from a Yorkshire athlete came from Zara Hohn, 18, from Wakefield, whose pb of 13.62 seconds in the 100 metre hurdles final placed her fifth.

With Beijing to host the Olympic Games in 2008, the championships provided excellent preparation and motivation for many of Britain's talented youngsters who are all aiming for the London Olympics in 2012.

With newly-appointed Norwich Union mentor Katharine Merry on hand for last minute tips, the team performed above expectations and brought home one gold and three bronzes - a marked improvement on 2002 where no medals were won in Grossetto, Italy.

Despite UK Athletics setting the most stringent qualification standards for this year's team, the 41-strong Norwich Union GB & NI team was the largest to attend a World Junior Championships for eight years.

Nearly a quarter of those achieved pbs and 12 athletes finished in the top eight in their event.

Before the championships, a Norwich Union preparation camp was held in Macau - the same camp that will be used by the senior team ahead of the World Championships in Japan in 2007, as well as before the Olympic Games in Beijing in 2008.

Team leader Martin Rush commented before the start of the championships that "this is the most focused team of athletes I have travelled with during my five years as team leader".

He added: "There is a sense of purpose amongst these youngsters that is refreshing."

UK Athletics Performance Director Dave Collins said after the championships that "the transition from juniors to seniors is the crucial part, and the effective conversion of potential talent to world class achievement is our biggest focus".

With the appointment of Norwich Union mentors Merry and Daley Thompson, the juniors can look forward to an unprecedented level of support to ease that transition and help prepare them to achieve their potential.