James McLachlan is intent on coming away from the European Under-23 Championships with a long jump medal, even though he may need to claim the Scottish record to fulfil his ambition.

The 21-year-old, currently based at Chicago's Loyola University, is the sole Scot in action for the British team on the opening day in Tampere and arguably the best prospect for a place on the podium as the brightest and the best of the next generation gather in the Finnish city.

He might have to expunge Darren Ritchie's long-standing mark of 8.01 metres from the history books, but it would need an improvement of 15cm on McLachlan's current lifetime best, set in April in California. He hopes the heat of competition, and the challenge from his peers, might launch him into unchartered territory.

"It's really about, firstly, making the final," he said. "Once you get there, putting yourself in the mix, so you can use that final two or three rounds, with all the adrenaline, to go for a medal. Big personal bests come in those kinds of environments.

"I went into the European Juniors two years ago without much confidence because I'd been injured, so I didn't feel it then, but I have been in competitions where I have jumped new bests. The last five times I've improved my pb, four of them have come in the sixth round. I enjoy the big occasion."

McLachlan was once a promising striker worthy of a trial at Norwich and he could still run out at Hampden next summer at the Commonwealth Games, where a potential showdown with the Olympic champion Greg Rutherford would be on the cards. He will need to make substantial gains during his final year on scholarship across the Atlantic for this to happen.

"Next year, I'd like to get up to around 8.10-8.20 which would give me a shot," he said. "If it's chucking it down at Hampden with a bunch of Scots screaming their heads off, who knows what could happen?"