THEY may be more than 3000 miles away, but Chris O’Hare’s baby son is giving him all the motivation he needs to win a first medal on the world stage.

A European bronze medallist both indoors and out in his career, O’Hare could not bring nine-month-old Ronan to London for his home World Championships - but that doesn’t mean he’s not having an impact on his father’s racing.

O’Hare eased into Friday’s 1500m semi-finals with a time of 3:42.53, good enough for third in his heat and an automatic qualifying spot.

“The baby’s not here, it’s too expensive,” admitted the 26-year-old.

“I wake up to three or four videos every day of him messing around and being silly. That is something that motivates me more than anything in the world.

“We joke around about dad strength, but this is more dad motivation.

“It definitely gives you something a bit more than just your own personal pride to run for, and that’s huge.”

The Borders man, now resident in Boston, USA, set a new personal best - almost nine seconds faster than he ran in Thursday’s heats - over 1500m just last month in Monaco, and is feeling in good shape.

And having had injury-troubled season’s in each of the last two years, O’Hare is determined to make the most of being fit and healthy.

“I’m definitely well prepared, the thing to remember for me is that the last two years I’ve come in hurt, with the last two months into the champs disturbed with lots of panic and stress,” he added.

“But this year has been smooth sailing so far, and hopefully the semis will be smooth too, and I can get to the final.”

And with a home crowd pushing him along, his confidence is high of making that Sunday showdown.

“The reception was amazing but I got a bit carried away with 400m to go. The crowd picked me up a little bit too much, so I need to be careful of that in the semi,” he concluded.

“With 150m to go I knew I had it but I was a little tired, so I need to make sure I’ve got another gear with 150m to go next time, instead of trying to be smooth.

“But these are the kind of nights you live for as an athlete. Other than winning a medal it doesn’t really get better than this.

“It’s just amazing. It’s fantastic. I can’t thank the crowd enough for their support.”

You can help the next generation of young British athletes by getting involved in SportsAid Week this September with London 2012 hero Greg Rutherford MBE. Find out more about how you can support the week of fun and fundraising by visiting www.sportsaid.org.uk/sportsaidweek