NIGEL Levine admitted a gamble paid off after Great Britain's 4x400m relay squad landed bronze at the World Indoor Championships.
The 20-year-old Windsor, Slough, Eton & Hounslow runner helped GB clock 3mins 7.52secs to clinch third place in Doha.
And after relying on a fastest losers' spot to take their place in the final, Levine insisted they left noth- ing to chance in the medal show- down.
He said: "Our coach told us we had to give it more in the first 200m. We gave ourselves too much to do in the heats and it almost cost us. But we went out and put it in hard over the first 200m, as we knew we were good enough to maintain that pace through the race.
"We couldn't afford to let any of the teams in the final get away from us, and it was a real fight out there."
Britain were given a helping hand after sprinting powerhouses Jamaica clashed with Barbados and Dominican Republic, resulting in the first two retiring and the third being disqualified. And after mak- ing the podium in the Middle East, Levine backed the squad to go from strength to strength in 2010.
He said: "Regardless of what happened between the other teams, I think we showed our strength and ran well as quite a young team.
"Hopefully this is the start of something and we can build on it throughout the rest of the year." * Aviva has been proud to have helped and supported the GB & NI junior, senior and disability teams as they prepare for all major events and championships since 1999. Visit www.aviva.co.uk/athletics for more information.
