THERE was only one thing for a Middlesbrough fan to be doing on February 29 - and it wasn't flying on a plane to Germany.

Lifelong Boro fan Chris Tomlinson found himself doing just that, while most of Teesside was in Cardiff to celebrate Boro's first major trophy in their 128-year history.

The long jumper was putting the finishing touches to his preparations for the World Indoor Championships in Budapest and, while all of his childhood friends journeyed south to Wales, Tomlinson found himself desperately trying to keep track of the score while flying across Europe.

It might not have been the ideal way to mark such a historic event, but having to make sacrifices is nothing new to the 22-year-old.

Tomlinson's life has to fit around athletics, but this summer his willingness to miss out could be rewarded on the greatest stage of them all.

"Missing the Carling Cup final was one of the hardest things I've had to do because of my athletics," said Tomlinson.

"I've been a massive Boro fan for ages but, on the day of the game, I had to fly out to Germany for an indoor competition.

"That was hard, but it's a balance and the upsides far outweigh the odd downsides in it all.

"Don't get me wrong, it's a brilliant career and I wouldn't swop it for anything. If you get to the top in athletics you get to travel all over the world and compete in front of thousands of people.

"But, on a day to day basis, it can be hard.

"I'm a young lad and all of my mates are young lads who go out and enjoy themselves.

"I can tag along every now and then, but I've got to be far more controlled and I've got to accept that I've got to put my athletics first."

Tomlinson has been putting his athletics first ever since he burst on to the scene as English Schools champion in 1996.

He was crowned AAA champion as an under-17 two years later, but the Teessider's real breakthrough came when he broke Lynn Davies' 34-year-old British record in 2002.

He was widely expected to challenge for a medal at last year's World Championships but, after suffering a mid-season injury, eventually had to settle for a ninth-place finish.

That result forced him to re-focus over the winter, but the resultant hard work paid off when he finished sixth in this month's World Indoors and almost made the Olympic qualifying mark before the outdoor season had even begun.

"I've been training in South Africa over the winter," said Tomlinson. "And, even though I only had a few indoor competitions, I finished on a bit of a high with the World Indoors.

"I jumped 8.17m to come sixth and that broke the national record. That's only 2cm off the qualifying mark for the Olympics and so, at this stage of the year, I've got to be happy with where I'm at.

"I know what I'm capable of and I'll go to the Olympics full of confidence because I know I can hold my own at the highest level.

"I'll be jumping against exactly the same people in the Olympics so I don't think there's anything for me to fear at all.

"Anything can happen on the day once you're there. I'm not going to set targets of what I want to achieve but it would be great to come away with a medal.

"I know I'm probably going to have to jump 8.25m or 8.30m to get that in the Olympics.

"But I jumped 8.17m in Budapest and the question is whether or not I can get another 15cm in the space of five months - I think I can."