TIM Thomas finshed seventh in the Commonwealth Games pole vault final last night, and immediately set his sights on the 2004 Olympics.

The Cwmbran based athlete will be 33 then, but after experiencing the electric atmosphere of the Games he wants more.

"The memories of the last week will stay with me forever, it's been incredible," said Thomas.

"There are a few small meetings left this season, but I may call it quits and concentrate on working to get everything right.

"I only narrowly missed out on the Olympics last time, and 2004 is a big target for me." Torrential rain soaked the track and threatened the pole vault event, but it failed to dampen the spirits of a Manchester crowd who have drawn praise from every quarter.

South African Ockert Britz won the event, Thomas dropping out after failing to better 5.20. "I'm quite happy with my performance," he said. "I didn't get to my season's best of 5.40m, but realistically I was never going to with these conditions.

"I've come seventh, which is my Commonwealth ranking so I've got what I deserved."