A young Swindon runner is aiming to bring home a national cross country title this weekend despite having run competitively for less than a year.
14 year old Leo, a pupil at Lawn Manor Academy, was encouraged to embrace his passion for running by PE Teacher and Associate Assistant Headteacher Mike Wilson. Spotting his potential for athletics, Mike put him forward to join Swindon Harriers Athletic Club to help him hone his skills and race competitively.
Leo has now achieved a place in the national Cross Country Championship final on Saturday 14th March after coming 7th in the South West heat in February, also placing 1st out of all the Wiltshire athletes attending. The national finals will bring together 460 of the country’s top school cross country runners, all taking on a 3.2km course around Sefton Park in Liverpool.
Leo explained: “I was always quite good at running and cross country since primary school, but Mr Wilson encouraged me to take it further and try out for Swindon Harriers. A month after I joined I was competing in track races and helping my team gain points, and within three months I was already reaching national competition – I really felt the pressure of that but competing really helped to boost my confidence as well as improve my mental health too.
“I’m nervous about this competition but my coach at Swindon Harriers, John Dill, and Mr Wilson have helped me get my strategy in mind and I know what I need to do in order to run at my best. My dad and grandad will be in Liverpool with me too as they’ve been coming with me all over the country to cheer me on as I race.”
Mike Wilson added: “We spotted Leo’s untapped potential in athletics and through our links with the club, we encouraged Swindon Harriers to take him on a trial, where his ability was clear. Leo’s confidence and skills have grown massively in a very short amount of time and now he’s excelling. It was always clear to see that he loved running and that there was a talent there, so we’re sure he’s going to do well this weekend and we can’t wait to see what he brings home to Swindon.
“Whilst we have many skilled sportspeople at Lawn Manor Academy, athletics is still not the most popular amongst our young people. Being able to foster Leo’s passion to demonstrate how you can achieve your best with the right attitude, commitment, and resilience is part of our Lawn Manor values that we instil in every pupil.”
For more information on Lawn Manor Academy, visit www.lawnmanor.org.
