Olympic Athletes

World class stars from athletics hoping to represent Great Britain at the Olympics later this year visited Pilgrim Academy.

Sprinters Andy Morgan-Harrison and Ashleigh Nelson found time out of their busy schedule preparing for Paris to inspire the children.

They highlighted to a whole school assembly the importance of hard work, consistency and discipline.

Both athletes explained what they had to do to achieve their goals and showcased some of their many achievements through videos and photographs.

The pupils were given the opportunity to take part in two physical activity sessions with both athletes.

This gave them the chance to gain new skills, challenge themselves and become inspired.

 

The athletes work for Athletes in Schools, a company whose goal is to inspire a generation of future champions by providing schools with the opportunity to meet and work with world class athletes.

The event was organised by Mrs Thompson, Curriculum leader for Physical Education at Pilgrim Academy.

She said: "We chose to work with Athletes in Schools as we liked the opportunity to provide role models for the students and give them an amazing day full of new experiences."

The athletes said the children were really engaged and well- behaved during the sessions and they made improvements in technique throughout the day.

The students were fascinated by the athletes, with a number of them asking the athletes lots of questions, which was fantastic to see.

They really embraced the day and took advantage of this experience.

Viktoria Parashkevova, Year 6, said: "I was really inspired by them".

Esme Crockett, Year 6, said: "I liked that they taught us about the importance of hard work".

Lexi Hynes, Year 6, said: "I liked that they challenged us throughout the day".