Sponsored by
'Relay' great start to games
YOUNG South Tyneside athletes met an Olympic champion yesterday as he launched a national school sports programme.
Gold medallist Jason Gardener held a sprinting masterclass at Baltic Square, in Gateshead, to launch Sainsbury's UK school games 2010, which will be held in North East England.
Rhys Garricks, from Whitburn, and James Lovatt, from Jarrow, were two of the youngsters who were put through their paces by the relay star.
Gardener won gold as part of the triumphant 4 x 100m relay team at the 2004 Athens Olympics.
He said: "I am delighted to be here. I have competed many times in this region and the level of facilities it has to offer are first-class. As a young athlete trying to forge a career in elite sport, I would have loved to have been able to mix with hundreds of other athletes, learn from them and compete on a national stage against the best in my age group."
Coun Tracey Dixon, lead member for culture and wellbeing, said: "We work very hard to encourage children and young people to participate in sport and physical activity.
"We hope the games will inspire Olympians of the future."
More than 1,600 elite school-aged athletes will be in the region between September 2 and 5 for events in cycling, athletics, badminton, fencing, gymnastics, hockey, judo, swimming, table tennis and volleyball, as well as disability events in swimming, athletics and table tennis.
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for South Shields
Wednesday 08 February 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: -2 C to 2 C
Wind Speed: 16 mph
Wind direction: South
Tomorrow
Light rain
Temperature: 1 C to 3 C
Wind Speed: 9 mph
Wind direction: South
