CHRIS Tomlinson will make his seasonal bow at Sheffield this weekend, hoping that 2005 will bring the "one big jump" that would have earned him an Olympic medal last year.

The Middlesbrough long jumper is currently ranked sixth in the world after a series of impressive displays in the last 12 months.

Last summer's European Cup win was followed by a maiden AAA outdoor title, and Tomlinson's career scaled even greater heights when he finished fifth in Athens last August.

But, while an opening jump of 8.25m proved good enough to make the Olympic top six, the 23-year-old was disappointed at his inability to go even further in his next five leaps.

And, with all roads leading to Helsinki for this summer's World Championships, the Teessider is desperate to produce the one breakthrough jump that would turn him from lively outsider to likely medal-winner.

"When I look back, I've got to be pleased at the way things went last year," said Tomlinson, who was just two centimetres below his personal best in the heat of Olympic competition. "I consolidated everything that had happened in the couple of seasons before.

"The most pleasing thing was the consistency. I produced a lot of jumps in and around the 8.20 mark.

"But, on the downside, I wasn't able to make the one big jump that might have made all the difference.

"I know there's an 8.40 or an 8.50 jump in me and, last year, that would have been good enough to put me in the top two.

"That's the challenge for this season. But knowing that jump is inside me is one thing - producing it when it counts is something quite different."

It will count most when Tomlinson travels to Finland in August but, before then, he will be looking for European success during his indoor campaign.

This weekend's Norwich Union championships offer Tomlinson the chance of his fifth AAA title in the last six years but, more significantly, the Sheffield event is also acting as the trials for next month's European Indoor Championships in Madrid.

Tomlinson will be up against Commonwealth champion Nathan Morgan as he looks to start the season in style and, while the World Championships remain his number one target, a successful indoor campaign could provide a real confidence boost.

"The worlds dominate the thinking because that's the competition you want to be at your best for," said Tomlinson. "But, as last season proved, consistency breeds good performances.

"It's important for me to do well in Madrid, and that process begins in Sheffield this weekend.

"I feel ready to compete. Things have gone well for me this winter, but the test is always that first meaningful jump.

"The competitions start to come thick and fast from this point onwards and, obviously, the sooner you're into the groove the better."

While some athletes spend the winter in exotic climes, Tomlinson has endured a more down to earth training programme.

Most of his time has been spent at Gateshead's International Stadium - with further sessions also taking place at Middlesbrough and Durham - but the North-Easterner is confident that he will be rewarded for braving the wind and rain over the last four months.

"I made the decision to base myself close to home and I'm pleased that I did," said Tomlinson. "It helped me to really focus on the things I think I need to improve to get to that next level.

"The winter months are the side of athletics that nobody sees. Everybody focuses on the glamour of the Olympics, but they don't really think about pounding the track on a wet Tuesday morning in Gateshead.

"That's where the real work is done though. You have to want to do it, otherwise you'd never drag yourself out of bed on a morning.

"I feel like things have gone well and hopefully that will be borne out over the course of the season."