A man went head to head with a London Tube train and won.

30-year-old England touch rugby player, James Heptonstall, darted off a Circle Line Tube carriage, at Mansion House, and sprinted overground to the next station, Cannon Street, to reach the very same carriage.

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He sprinted through the streets of London 

Mr Heptonstall, originally a Thames Ditton man, hurtled down the 415-yard route while his friend, Noel Carroll, 29, waited patiently for his return with a camera focused on the tube doors.

The video of the former Thames Ditton Infants School pupil, uploaded to YouTube last month, has since gone viral with over four million hits.

Mr Heptonstall studied at Claremont Fan Court School, Esher, and used to compete for Kingston Athletics Club as a sprinter and long jumper, before moving to Hinchley Wood where his parents still live.

Mr Heptonstall, who now lives in Hampstead, north west London, said: "We talked about whether it would be possible for a man v machine running. We talked about it for a while.

"We spent ages finding out where we could do it."

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He flew through the doors of the same carriage

Mr Heptonstall, an environmental consultant, managed to swiftly swipe his oyster card to get through the barriers on time.

He said his legs were like jelly as he raced towards the platform and he almost missed the carriage.

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Collapsing onto the floor in relief

He added: "When I looked to my left and saw the doors open, I didn't know how long I had.

"Once I'd done it I couldn't stop smiling."

He admitted they had plans for a follow up race, but were keeping it a secret for now.

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Mission accomplished: Mr Heptonstall smiles while fellow passengers look on