Pole vaulter Luke Cutts took a huge step on the road to Rio this week when he cleared 5.7m which is the qualifying height for this year's Olympic Games.

The leap at the Welsh Indoor Open in Cardiff on Sunday broke the competition record by 19 centimetres and was Cutts' best for two years since he set the British record of 5.83 in early 2014. The Thurnscoe man, who turns 28 tomorrow, has been to the World and European Championships, won Commonwealth Games silver and taken several British titles but has never reached the Olympics.

He will be in Team GB for Brazil if he wins the outdoor British Championships in Birmingham in June and even a second place could earn him a place on the plane depending on selection.

"We look upon this for Luke as clearing the first hurdle on the road to Rio," said Trevor Fox who is Cutts' coach at the Dearne ALC club.

"He has now bounced back into world class pole vaulting. We are delighted with 5.7 and he was very close with three attempts at 5.85 which would have been a new British record."

Another obstacle for Cutts on his way to Rio is money. Fox has set up a 'Go Fund Me' page to raise £10,000 which would compensate Cutts for taking unpaid leave from his job at a packing company in Goldthorpe in order to do the necessary training and competitions in preparation for the Olympics. They have so far raised more than £500 and Fox says that backing has been a key factor in Cutts' improvement in form after a couple of disappointing years.

"The fantastic support of all his friends and the spirit of Barnsley folk has inspired him tremendously," said Barnsley-based coach Fox.

"We have to thank everybody for getting behind him and especially with the fantastic messages of moral support that comes with it. It's given him a new lease of life and more motivation.  We also have to give thanks to our friends, family, training partners, parents and all in the athletics fraternity from club to national level.  I am really proud to be the coach of such a fantastic talent, from beginners' level to world class level."

Cutts' next major competition will be the British Indoor Championships at the end of the month.