Youngsters diving in for games finals
TWO young Bridgend athletes are to compete at a national school swimming contest.
Ioan Evans and Rebecca Sutton, from Bridgend, have been selected to be part of the swimming squad at the 2017 School Games National Finals.
The School Games are an integrated multi-sport event for the UK’s most talented school-age athletes and will take place at Loughborough University from August 31 to September 3.
Ioan, 15, and 16-yearold Rebecca are students at Porthcawl Comprehensive School. Ioan is a member of the City of Cardiff Swim Squad and Rebecca trains with Brid- gend County Swim Squad.
Both will compete for the Wales squad.
They already have an impressive record of success. Ioan was selected for Wales’ Commonwealth Youth Games squad in the Bahamas this year and for the GB Open Water team at the World and European Junior Championships. He also took gold in 1,500m freestyle and 200m back at the School Games last year.
Rebecca was the 400m Individual Medley silver medallist at the previous Commonwealth Youth Games in Samoa and has swam in the European Youth Olympics.
Around 1,600 athletes will compete across 12 sports at the School Games, seven of which include disability disciplines. The four-day event is supported by National Lottery funding from Sport England and deliv- ered by the Youth Sport Trust.
Ioan and Rebecca will be hoping to follow in the footsteps of some of Britain’s biggest sporting stars who have competed at the School Games before going on to senior international success.
Previous competitors include Paralympic champions Hannah Cockroft, Ellie Simmonds and Jonnie Peacock, Olympic champion Adam Peaty, heptathlete Katarina Johnson-Thompson and GB sprinter Adam Gemili.
The School Games are also the springboard for future athletes – 56 of the 382 athletes representing Team GB at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio competed at the School Games.
At the event, Ioan and Rebecca will experience the excitement of competing at the highest level. They will live in a dedicated Athletes’ Village on the Loughborough Uni- versity campus, take part in an opening ceremony and perform in front of huge crowds of spectators.
“You have to be really motivated, getting up at 4.30am to go training and going back for another two hours after school, but when you achieve in competitions or selections, it’s all worth it,” said Ioan.
“The School Games National Finals provide a great opportunity for talented young athletes like Ioan and Rebecca,” says Ali Oliver, chief executive officer of the Youth Sport Trust. “Competitors get a real taste of what it’s like to be part of a worldclass sporting event at the amazing sporting venues of Loughborough University, and the event is a great way to see our future sporting champions in action today.”
Tickets for the event are available at www.ticket source.co.uk/2017school games