HOURS of pounding the track have paid off for 75-year-old James Farrar, who won two medals at the British Masters Indoor Track and Field Championships in Cardiff.

He scooped a gold in the M75 age group 800m in a time of 3mins 29.4secs, beating Midlands champion John Quantrell by 0.13 seconds, and also bagged a silver in the 1,500m after finishing in 7-40.02.

A medal winning hat-trick was only denied by a fire alarm shortly before the 400m. By the time Farrar was back in the stadium, the race was under way.

The 75-year-old trains five times a week at Nestl Rowntree and is a member of the Northern Veterans Athletics Club, and he says the competition is still as hot as it was when he first took to the track 60 years ago.

He said: "If you meet all these veteran men, they are still as competitive as ever. The man who finished second to me in the 800m, I could hear him gaining on me and I thought he was going to do me on the line! I looked over and I could see him dipping alongside me."

Farrar's double medal haul is made more impressive by the fact that he has come back from a broken femur and hip in recent years.

He said: "It happened when I was 65. I couldn't move for about two years and finally when I did my first walk I was like a little baby.

"I lost a few seconds from each 100 metres but if I can get back to being the gold medallist then you have to be pleased with that."

Previous successes include the North East British Rail 800m title in 1948, won in 2.20.4 on grass, a bronze in the 400m World Rally Championships in Hanover and a European veteran silver in the 800m won in Glasgow two years ago.

Farrar next hopes to be in action at the British Masters championships in June at the Birmingham Alexander stadium.

Updated: 10:08 Saturday, March 06, 2004