CANVEY middle-distance runner Jessica Judd knows there is still plenty of room for improvement but insists she is on track ahead of this summer’s Olympic Games.

A multiple champion at European Junior Cross Country Championship level and a world junior 800m silver medallist, 21-year-old Judd is all set for a busy summer with the Rio Olympics quickly coming into focus on the horizon.

Two years ago she was fourth at the Commonwealth Games and made the final of the European Championships but she is yet to make an Olympic Games having missed out at London 2012.

However she has set her sights on making the team in the 1,500m and gave herself an indication of her current form when she won the 3,000m at the British Universtities Championships (BUCS) in Sheffield in 9m 36.50s.

And with much of the winter having been focused on cross country running, Judd admits things are looking good ahead of making the transition to the outdoor season on the track.

“I wanted to go off a little bit slower in the final and see where I was. I haven’t done any track work so I’m not very quick at the moment,” she said.

“I feel like I can keep going, I just can’t go much quicker but I think that’s ok for this time of the year. It was a nice test.

“The cross country has been my main aim. We’re going to start bringing in more speed work. I know I’m faster than that, I just think I’m a bit tired and I’ve got a bit of a cold.

“But it’s a nice test to see where I’m at. I’m really happy with how the winter has gone and it’s exciting for the summer. I feel really strong.”

With Rio never far from her thinking, Judd says she is feeling in much better shape than previous years.

“When I get going with everything, it’s a bit hard to stop and then I burn out really quickly,” she added.

“But I’m going to America at the end of March and that will probably be where my speed stuff starts and then I will come back in the middle of April and try and get some races in really.

“It would be amazing to go to the Olympics, it’s something I keep dreaming of.

“But at the moment it’s just about doing everything day by day. I’m still not where I want to be but I think at this time of the year I am so much better than I was last year. It’s exciting.”

British Universities & Colleges Sport (BUCS) is the national governing body for Higher Education (HE) sport in the UK, organising leagues and competitions for more than 150 institutions across 52 different sports. Partnered by Deloitte, BUCS supports athletes from a grass roots level through to Commonwealth and Olympic Games hopefuls www.bucs.org.uk