WEYMOUTH’S veteran 1,500m athlete Kevin Archer is aiming to lay the foundation for a tilt at the World Masters Championships next year when he runs the European Masters Championships for Great Britain in Denmark this week.

Archer, 64, will be racing in the age 60-64 group alongside 23 other competitors and will have to make it through the semi-finals at Viby Stadium on Saturday (12.30pm) to make the final at Ceres Park (6.15pm) one day later.

Weymouth St Paul’s Harriers and Athletics Club member Archer has the ninth-fastest time of all the entrants at five minutes and is aiming to make the eight-man final in Aarhus.

He told Echosport: “I’m looking forward to it. It will be a great occasion with more than 4,000 athletes there.

“I know there will be about 400 Brits going across so it will be a good all-round event.

“My goals in the champs are two-fold: To get to the semi-finals and run a fast time. I might be able to get the British best time if I’m feeling okay. I hope to run close to it, if not get it.

“I want to run as fast as I can. I’ve not managed to hit the number one time in the 1,500m. It’s a little goal I’ve got but whether it will happen we’ll see.”

The fastest 1,500m time run by a British man in the 60-64 age group this season is the 4:50.27 set by Bristol and West AC’s David Bedwell.

Archer had planned to run both the 800 and 1,500m in Aarhus ahead of the Worlds in Spain next year where he will compete in the 65-69 age group, but due to a series of injuries he will concentrate on the 1,500m this campaign.

“I’ve had a slow start to the season because of a few hamstring problems, but I’ve picked it up now. My target is next year when I become one of the younger ones in the next age group.

“I want to go out there and run a fast time to put a marker down for next year at the World Champs in Malaga,” he said.