ATHLETE Iwan Thomas showed he still has “unbelievable” fitness as he trained with Poole sportsmen.

The 38-year-old came to Poole Athletics Club on Saturday after member Alison Moore won a Tesco competition.

She said: “He was so tall and during the sprints he was going off at a rate of knots – it was unbelievable.”

His career highlights included 400 metres gold in the 1998 European Championships and Commonwealth Games.

He is now a motivational speaker, and gave a talk to the club at Ashdown Leisure Centre on Saturday, and joined members for training including a three-mile run.

Alison, 48, a civil servant from Canford Heath, said: “He was so inspirational, especially to the youngsters.

“He talked about how if you believe in yourself anything is possible.”

Club races secretary Nigel Harding said: “I found him very inspiring and I think most of the club did too. He was quite unassuming. He was happy to run alongside us with the youngsters and get the best from them.”