Athletes will compete at the School Games National Finals as part of five teams representing Northern Ireland, Scotland, with England represented by Midlands, North and South, with the athletics programme taking place on August 31 and September 1.

Britain’s brightest young athletes will be taking to the track and the field aiming for either a place on the podium or a personal best.

With events spanning from javelin, to pole vault, to hurdles and relays, Britain’s brightest young athletes in the under 17 age group (and under 20 for disability) will compete at Loughborough’s Paula Radcliffe stadium.

The School Games provides young athletes with the experience of a multi-sport competition environment, like the Olympics.

Previous competitors at the School Games include Paralympic and World Champion T38 sprinter Sophie Hahn, who currently trains at Loughborough University, based at the same track that our School Games athletes will compete on.

Fellow Paralympic and World Champion, T44 sprinter Jonnie Peacock, also competed in the School Games system, having won 100m gold in 2009.

Paralympic, world and Commonwealth F46 javelin champion Hollie Arnold won bronze in 100m and shot put in the 2007 School Games, and gold in the discus and shot in 2009, before her rise in the senior ranks of para athletics in the UK.

Heptathlon and high-jump prodigies Katarina Johnson-Thompson and Morgan Lake are also two notable alumni. Katarina, who won high jump silver in 2009, has won world indoor and commonwealth gold so far in 2018, whilst Morgan won a silver medal on the Gold Coast earlier this year.

Sprinters Dina Asher-Smith and Adam Gemili, who won gold in the 4x100m men’s relay at the 2017 World Championships, competed at the School Games in 2012 and 2010 respectively, before making their debuts for the senior British teams.

Rising through the ranks of long distance running is Jess Judd, who had won the 1500m gold in the 2011 School Games National Finals.

With so much talent in one place, the School Games National Finals is a fantastic place to see inspirational performances by the UK’s future Athletics stars. Tickets for the event are available on the School Games website.