F or Guy Learmonth, the next 48 hours will provide moments which will influence him for years to come.

Of the greatest significance to the middle-distance prospect are the UK Championships, which begin in Birmingham tonight, with places still available for August's European Championships.

That will not be the Borderer's only trial, though. At some point this afternoon he will receive an email from the assessors at Loughborough University to confirm the results of four years of study and toil to obtain his degree. "I'm a bit nervous," he said. "But I'm sitting on a 2:1 and as long as I've not messed up, I should be okay. It's been a long haul but I got there in the end."

The same could be said about his ascent to become one of the leading lights of British middle-distance running. Ranked fourth over 800 metres heading into tonight's semi-finals, the 22-year-old senses further gains can be made now he can devote himself fully to his trade without the competing demands of studying or trying to pass exams.

Or the laborious dissection of the Commonwealth Games. While his contemporaries have fretted only about making the cut for selection, Learmonth's mind has been applied to its potential returns as the central theory in his dissertation, an evaluation of the economic impact of such major events.

"There was a lot of dull reading," he said with a smile, but there was also an uncertain conclusion. "All the studies have been over five or 10 years after, with economic returns and the stability of jobs. But what I can say is Glasgow are doing a lot with legacy programmes and employment and training that follows suit from London, and from Barcelona, which was a major success. With what they've got in place, as long as they play their cards right, it augurs well."

It was laborious in the end, as arduous as anything he had encountered on the track. Having journeyed to America and Asia in recent weeks, there was a real risk that he would drop the ball. "It's been absolute chaos, and then getting back here to do final exams and handing in my dissertation … it's been crazy. I'm glad it's done."

The tests will keep coming given the depth of reserves in his chosen pursuit. All those above Learmonth in the domestic standings are bound for the Alexander Stadium, including Olympic finalist Andrew Osagie, his friend and rival Mukhtar Mohammed and also the European junior champion Jake Wightman, who will compete for Scotland over 1500m at the Commonwealth Games.

Only the top two in tomorrow's final will be assured of tickets to Zurich, providing they achieve the qualifying standard. Learmonth's best time, set in Beijing last month, is a mere 35/100th of a second short of that feat but the incentive of qualification for a first major championship will spur him onward.

"The Europeans is a huge target for the season," he said. "The way my training's geared is to peak for the Commonwealths and then be ready again for Zurich. It's the big championship and I want to target it for my personal development as well. There's a big opportunity there that I can grasp. If I don't go, I'll be disappointed. But first things first and let's get through this weekend."