Olympians inspire Sutton students

Students at John Willmott School learned about what it takes to go for gold – when two athletics stars from Team GB gave them inspirational talks.

Stars Emily Borthwick and Tom Bosworth spoke for 50 minutes before completing a Q&A session with students in years 7-10 at the school, which is part of the respected Arthur Terry Learning Partnership.

They reflected on their journeys so far, their athletics careers and the resilience needed to perform at an elite level. Students also participated in an Inter House competition featuring an Olympic quiz to acknowledge this year’s Olympic games being held in Tokyo.

Students in Years 9 and 10 spoke to High Jumper Emily Borthwick, who recently made the European Indoor Championships final with a Personal Best height of 1m 91cm.

Emily told the students how she is now focussing on qualification for the Tokyo Olympics this summer, and how her decision to switch from sprinting to High Jump led to her breakthrough on the world scene.

Olympic Race Walker Tom Bosworth told students in Years 7 and 8 about how he now has his sights set on a medal in Tokyo.

He has had a hugely successful career to date; he holds six British records, has won twelve British Championships, a silver Commonwealth Games medal and is a World, European and Olympic Games finalist.

Headteacher Tracey Peters commented: “This was a superb opportunity for our students to meet two GB athletes who have worked hard to be at the top of their game, and for them to give our students advice on dealing with the challenges that face us all each day.

“They have shared how their determination and commitment to improve resulted in success at the highest level. We look forward to watching them both compete at this summer’s Olympic games.”

Head of PE Lloyd Everitt added: “To be a successful athlete requires a huge amount of perseverance and resilience – it was a privilege to have athletes of such calibre share their experiences with our students.”