MATCHAMS teenager Bradley Rowell has taken a giant stride towards his Olympic dream by topping the British Snow Tour rankings.

The 15-year-old freestyle snowboarder has made remarkable progress since taking up the sport after receiving lessons for his 11th birthday with his three years of success culminating in selection for the GB Park and Pipe Academy, the professional pathway for Olympic qualification.

He achieved podium positions in the under-16 competitions at the Calshot Jam in 2012 and the Strawberry Jam the following year before getting his first taste of victory at the Farmers Jam, Norfolk.

Bradley, a pupil at Highcliffe School, continued his progress with a bronze medal in the youth men’s at the British Indoor Championship in 2013, followed by fourth-place finishes in the Slopestyle and Boardercross categories at the The Brits Championship in Tignes, France the following year, claiming 15th place overall.

But in the past year, Bradley has taken his game on to a new level with podiums at the English Championships in Manchester, The Brits, the K-Jam in Cumbria, the Farmers Jam, Air Attack 2015 Snowtrax and most recently, the Morrow Jam in Hemel Hempstead in November, the longest running competition in Britain.

Those results have seen him established as the number one men’s freestyle snowboarder in the UK as well as being nominated for a SportsAid award by Snowsport England.

Bradley, who trains at the Snowtrax dry-ski slope in Christchurch now has ambitions to showcase his skills in the Winter X-Games as well as representing Great Britain in Slopestyle, a mixture of big-air and rails.

Mum Louisa Rowell said: “We are incredibly proud of the hard work and dedication that Bradley has put into his sport and also his school work. We are delighted he’s achieved the top ranking and that his commitment has paid off.”