THE SMALLEST details can make the biggest difference according to teenage long jumper Patrick Sylla, who is hoping to put injury woe behind him and qualify for the Tokyo Olympics.

The 19-year-old from Bournemouth has been plagued by hamstring trouble and has torn every muscle on the left side of his body in the pursuit of his dream to compete for Great Britain at the highest level.

Sylla, of Bournemouth Athletic Club, is aiming to put injury problems behind him and focus on the fine details as he seeks to compete for a medal at next year's European Under-23 Championship.

He said: "Besides European under-23s, Tokyo would be amazing. That's always been my coach's goal.

“I need to stay fit to get there and pay attention to the small things which is one of the things we've looked past, because if I can strengthen my hamstrings, they will improve.

“It’s about paying attention to any niggle I've ever had, rather than ignoring it and treating it like any other injury. Hopefully, next year I'll be fitter.

"The highlight of my career so far was the world juniors in Poland. It was such an amazing experience. I was lucky that we had a long jumper come out who is one of my best friends and there were lots of people I competed against who I knew.

“Unfortunately, we got knocked out in the final because the three people in front of us all got personal bests. My personal best is 7.61m but I jumped 7.31m in that competition and the winner jumped 7.33m.”

Sylla was speaking at a SportsAid event in the House of Commons as part of the charity’s new partnership with GVC Holdings.

SportsAid, which has supported British sports stars for the past 40 years, has backed Sylla since he was 14 and the athlete says the funding he has received has helped him through the tough times.

He said: "I first got in touch with them when I was 14 or 15 after my first School Games. Fortunately, I've been backed ever since then.

"It's given me a chance. I suffer from a lot of injuries so the funding has enabled me to have weekly massages, which has helped. I've still been injured but it's not as bad and I'm getting better.”

GVC is proud to be championing the next generation of British athletes by providing them with financial support and development opportunities in partnership with SportsAid. Visit https://gvc-plc.com to find out more