CANVEY middle-distance star Jessica Judd admits she is back to her best and desperate to excel in 2015, after claiming gold in the 1500m at the season-opening Glasgow International Match.

The 20-year-old student admitted she had lost all passion for the sport after finishing fourth in the 800m at the Commonwealth Games last summer and seventh at the European Championships in Zurich.

But she stormed back to form on Saturday in Glasgow, fending off a challenge from France’s Claire Perraux to win the 1500m with a time of 4m 14.53s.

And the Loughborough University student insists it is thanks to hard work and a switch to the 1,500m discipline that she has got her mojo back.

“I’ve definitely got the love of athletics back,” she Judd, speaking at the Sainsbury’s event – a partnership with British Athletics that builds on Sainsbury’s support for the 2012 Paralympics and recognises that sport can unite and inspire children of all ages and abilities.

“That feels like so long ago. I just can’t believe it. I’m really, really happy.

“I got tired running the 800m the same way and always tiring in the last 200m. I’m just so happy I had the strength to see the 1,500m through.

“I’ve worked really hard in training and I’ve really got the love of it back and I think it showed there.

“I hope to do more 1,500m races. I think I’m strong enough to do it. Obviously the 1,500m runners are so good, but so are the 800m runners.

“So every distance I choose I’m up against tough competition. I’m just going to see how it develops but I absolutely loved the race in Glasgow.

“It’s going to be very hard not to do another one sometime soon!”

Judd next heads back to Loughborough, where she is a first-year student, to compete in the British Universities Championships cross country next week, before taking on the 3,000m distance at the British trials next month.

But she has much bigger plans for 2015, and with a strong winter training regime under her belt, Judd believes she can go all the way to the World Championships in Beijing.

She said: “I want to go to the World Champs. That’s my aim always to run for the senior teams. I’ve just got to see what distance I want to do.

“I preferred the 1,500m today to an 800m, which probably means more hard work on the way.

“Winter training has gone well, definitely. I was saying to a couple of friends I don’t realise how hard I’m training.

“I just try to be a normal student and try to get my lecture notes in on time, so I work really hard and then forget about it.

“Its things like today that make me realise I’m doing the right thing. I love it.”

>Sainsbury’s is a proud partner of British Athletics. The partnership reflects Sainsbury’s wider commitment to inspiring healthy lifestyles for all, and complements grassroots campaigns such as Active Kids and the Sainsbury’s School Games. www.sainsburys.co.uk