Young sprinter Myles Richardson has established himself as one of Britain’s brightest young athletes by claiming 200m gold at the Aviva English Schools’ Track & Field Championships in Gateshead on Friday and Saturday.
The 14-year-old Costello Technology College student clocked 22.41secs to top the podium at an event, which has previously launched the careers of the likes of Olympic and Commonwealth champion sprinter Mark Lewis-Francis.
Richardson, the son of former Southampton and Reading defender Steve Richardson, led home Ryan Lee, 22.44secs, and Thomas Somers, 22.70secs, to finish first in a lifetime best.
“Coming into it, I was expecting to get the gold, but after the heats I wasn’t because Ryan Lee ran 22.4 and I’d never run that quick, so I was a bit down about it,” said Richardson.
“But in the final, my hard work paid off, so I’m very happy. It was a great competition with lots of other really quick athletes.
“When you compete for your club sometimes you don’t get people that give you a proper race, but this group of boys gave me a proper race all the way to the end.
“It was another PB and I’d already got PB in the heat, 22.55 secs, but before that it was 22.69 for the trials to get into this event.
“I also do 100m and I’ve got 11.28 for that, so that’s going pretty good as well.
“There are lots of quick kids, but if I work hard enough and continue doing what I do now, then I’ve think I’ve got a good chance of making it to the Olympics or the worlds one day.”
The championships have also previously helped launch the career of Olympic bronze medallist Katharine Merry, who overtook Paula Radcliffe in a sprint relay in the competition in 1990.
The Aviva English Schools Track & Field Championships is part of the Aviva Athletics Academy which encourages and enables children to get involved in athletics.
For more information go to aviva.co.uk/athletics
