OLYMPIC DREAMS: Pembrokeshire teenager smashes Discus World Record again

WITNESS THE NEXT GENERATION OF COMMONWEALTH GAMES ATHLETES AT THE UK’S LARGEST MULTI-SPORT EVENT FOR YOUNG PEOPLE

The UK’s largest multi-sport event for talented young athletes, the School Games National Finals will be returning for its 15^th year on the 1^st to the 4^th September at Loughborough University.

This year, up to a thousand young athletes will be competing at the event, hoping to emulate Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games heroes and former School Games National Finals alumni, Adam Peaty, Katarina Johnson-Thompson and Hannah Cockroft, in their own path to success.

The four-day event, led by children’s charity the Youth Sport Trust, will host 1,000 aspiring athletes aged between 13 and 18. Athletes to watch out for include Michael Jenkins (17) from Pembrokeshire in Wales, who is already a para world record holder in F38 discus and Charlie McIntyre (17) from Southend, England, who won a bronze medal at the Commonwealth Games 2022 in Wheelchair Basketball.

The opening ceremony will be held on Friday at the campus’s Hazlerigg Fountain from 8:15 pm to 9:00 pm and will be hosted by Paralympian Kate Ager and Olympian Montell Douglas. Former School Games National Finals alumni and 2022 Commonwealth Games medallists will also be making appearances on stage including, Joe Fraser (Gold, Gymnastics), winner of 3 Gold medals at the Commonwealth Games and European Championships, Shannon Archer (Bronze, Gymnastics) who received Scotland’s first ever individual women’s gymnastics medal at the games, and multiple Northern Ireland record holder in swimming, Daniel Wiffen (Silver, 1500m Freestyle).

The School Games National Finals is one of the many initiatives led by the Youth Sport Trust which is committed to providing opportunities outside of competition to create a future where every child enjoys the life-changing benefits of play and sport. The event is a key part in supporting young people to develop a sense of belonging and to become future changemakers.

As part of the Athlete Education Programme, high profile athletes will share advice to young athletes regarding competing in major competitions, alongside providing workshops designed to provide skills for life. This will be led by Commonwealth Games 2022 gold medallists, Hannah Cockroft OBE (Wheelchair 100m T33/4), Nathan Maguire (Wheelchair 1500 metres T54) and Emma Reid (Judo).

This year the School Games National Finals 2022 is taking place thanks to National Lottery funding from Sport England as part of the organisation’s Birmingham 2022 legacy investment. Held at Loughborough University, it provides the young athletes with first class facilities and the experience of being in a sport competition village akin to the Commonwealth Games.

Register for your ticket to one or more events here: www.ticketsource.co.uk/2022Schoolgamesfinals or stream SGNF live on the Youth Sport Trust website and YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/YouthSportTrust. You can also follow SGNF social media for the latest updates, search @_schoolgames on Twitter or @schoolgames on Instagram.