Andrew has sights on Olympic gold

A schoolboy has set his sights on Olympic gold after breaking a 21-year-old record.
Andrew Knight has smashed a 21-year-old Northumberland record in the shot put.Andrew Knight has smashed a 21-year-old Northumberland record in the shot put.
Andrew Knight has smashed a 21-year-old Northumberland record in the shot put.

Young powerhouse Andrew Knight has been named the UK’s number one shot putter for his age.

He smashed the county record with a personal best of 13.93m in the Northumberland County Schools Championships.

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Now, just a year after being inspired to take up the sport by teachers at the Northumberland Church of England Academy, the talented 14-year-old is ranked in first place nationally in the U15 age group.

He has also qualified for the English Schools’ Athletics Championships.

Andrew said: “When my teacher first suggested I try the shot put, I wasn’t very keen, to be honest.

“But I soon started to really enjoy it and training and competing has given me so many opportunities to do things that I never thought I could do.

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“People think it is just about throwing a really heavy ball from your neck, but there is a lot to learn about the technique. I was really pleased to break the record and find out I was ranked number one in the country. My ambition is to one day get gold in the Olympics.”

Andrew’s potential for the sport was first spotted by his teachers who then encouraged him to join Morpeth Harriers where he is trained by Paul Reed.

Simon Barber, head of boys’ PE at the Academy, said: “Andrew’s achievements in the last year go to show that if you work hard and have a positive attitude, you can achieve great things in life.”