London , Oct 27 : A 19 year old Cambridge University student has beaten the record for the race made famous by the film 'Chariots of Fire'.

Sam Dobin, from Herne Island, Kent, who is reading economics at Trinity, completed the course in 42.77 secs, 0.83 seconds faster than Lord Burghley, who first set the record in 1927 .

To succeed, competitors must run 367 metres (423 yards) round Trinity College's Great Court in the 43.6 seconds it takes for the college's clock to strike 12.

Dobin now aims to run the 800m and 1500m in the London Olympics.

Until now this had only been achieved by Olympic gold medallists — Lord Burghley, and Sebastian CoeI in1988, reports the Daily Telegraph.

A fictitious version of the race formed a pivotal part in the 1981 film 'Chariots of Fire', which was a depiction of the story of Eric Liddle and Harold Abrahams, who ran in the 1924 Olympics in Paris.(ANI)