Morgan Lake has bright future, says ex-high jumper Dalton Grant

Heptathlete Morgan Lake has got the potential to compete on the world stage solely as a high-jumper in the future, according to British great Dalton Grant.

Lake is a two-time world junior champion after claiming gold in both the high jump and the heptathlon in Oregon in 2014, before becoming European junior high jump champion in Sweden last year.

Her personal best of 1.94m is just three inches shy of Isobel Pooley's 1.97m British record and Grant is convinced the 18-year-old from Berkshire - winner of SportsAid's 2015 One-to-Watch award - can make the necessary adjustments to catapult her to world level.

"She has clearly got the ability if she can jump 1.94m," Grant told Sky Sports at the British Ethnic Diversity Sports Awards hosted by Sporting Equals.

"She is a very good jumper who still needs to work a little on her technical side because you need to be a two-metre-plus jumper to get a medal at the Olympics.

"I think if Morgan works hard to get things right she could definitely be a two-metre-plus jumper but the technique is so important.

"If you put the wrong kind of force through your body you start breaking down with knee, back and ankle problems, especially when you are jumping at that sort of height - two metres for the women and 2.40m for the men.

"I can say that because I broke through at the age of 16 and spent 15 years as a world-class high jumper."

The build-up to this summer's Olympic Games in Rio has been overshadowed by the growth of the Zika virus in Brazil which has been declared a global public health emergency by the World Health Organization.

London 2012 road race silver medallist and current world champion Lizzie Armitstead last week told Sky Sports that Rio remains her sole focus despite the health concerns and Grant understands why.

"To be honest I know what I am like, it's all about the tunnel vision and I would definitely go because competing in the Olympics is the ultimate dream.

"Snow, hurricanes, whatever it is, it wouldn't matter, as long as it was on I would be there. The only way I would not go is if the Games were not to go ahead. Other than that there would be no stopping me.

"I can understand why it would affect other athletes. Different strokes for different folks but for me personally, it wouldn't stop me."