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Paralympian backs Greenwich Starting Blocks young talent

 
28 January 2010

Some of Britain’s most promising young athletes were presented with Greenwich Starting Blocks bursaries at Woolwich Town Hall on Tuesday 26 January.

Young athletes

Paralympic triple Gold medal winner, Giles Long presented cheques for £1,000 to Zoe Smith, Gemma Gibbons, Xavier Mohammed, Jeffrey Lawal-Balogun, Curtis Griffith-Parker and Davoud Etminani. They also each received a year’s full GLL (Greenwich Leisure Limited) membership.

Other up-and-coming young talents, including Hugo Humphreys, Liam Doidge, David Bolarinwa, Lorraine Ugen and Robert Barrett, received £500 each along with a year’s GLL membership.

Fourteen other young athletes received awards of £250 to help them further develop their talent. These athletes and another 22 also received GLL membership.

Stars of tomorrow

Giles Long overcame cancer to reach the pinnacle of international success, winning twenty major Championship medals including the Paralympic 100 metre Butterfly Gold medal, in Sydney in 2000, in a World Record time.

Proudly displaying one of his Gold medals, Giles congratulated the young athletes on their achievements. He said: "Having represented Great Britain for thirteen years in the world of swimming, I know the requirements of being a champion, the dedication and commitment it takes to achieve your goal and make your dreams come true.

"It’s great to see a charity like Starting Blocks being set up to help up-and-coming athletes improve their chances of competing in the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

"Some of the young people here today could be the stars of tomorrow and the support from Starting Blocks might help make this a reality. I wish them all every success."

Supporting young athletes

Council Leader and Chair of the Trustees for Starting Blocks, Chris Roberts said: "The Charity has already made a very practical contribution to supporting young athletes. I am delighted that with this latest round of bursaries we have been able to support such a new number of young people, helping give them a real step forward in their progress towards the 2012 Olympics.

"On behalf of the Trustees of Starting Blocks, I'd like to thank all those who have donated to this charity, and look forward to being able to give backing to many more local athletes in the year ahead."

About Starting Blocks

Greenwich Starting Blocks Trust, set up with Greenwich Council support, is a charity committed to helping Greenwich young people's sporting dreams come true. It provides bursaries to give young athletes a chance to develop their talents.

Find out more about Starting Blocks and how you can get involved

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