GEMMA Holloway was delighted to round off her English Schools career with a gold medal.

The 18-year-old, who has just finished her studies at Palmer’s College, won the senior girls 1,500m in Gateshead after a thrilling finish.

But she so nearly had to settle for silver after admitting she thought she still had a lap to run.

“I was day dreaming to be honest,” said the Thurrock Harrier. “I thought we had another lap to run until the last 100m when I realised. My coach didn’t want me to go out and lead the race so I sat behind the leader.”

Holloway suddenly woke up from her daydream when she saw the leader, Gemma Shepherd of Wiltshire, sprinting clear in the last 100m and realised she must be in the finishing straight.

The teenager found her sprint herself..but only just as she won by five-hundreths of a second.

“I knew I had won,” laughed Holloway. “It wasn’t as close as it looked. As soon as I crossed the line I knew I had won.”

Holloway, who competed against the best senior athletes in Britain a week earlier at the national championships, says she is now looking to run under 2m 10s for 800m and under 4m 20s for the 1,500m before the season is over.