Buxton athlete Ryan Rawlinson to compete at prestigious UK Games in Loughborough

A student at Buxton's St Thomas More Catholic School, the 16-year-old will take part in the Long Jump and was selected based on his current top five ranking in the U17 age group on the Power of 10.

Only eight athletes in total have been selected in each event, which will include the top jumpers in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

“I am really pleased with how he's progressing. He has won so many titles in recent years,” said dad Steve.

“He has four GB athletes in his team so they stay professional and don't try to big anyone up until it happens really. But Ryan is being offered American scholarships and all sorts.

“We are still deciding. It will be in two years time and he will have to go to college in this country first. It will be up to him to decide if he wants to go to America or he will go to Loughborough University.”

The former Buxton Athletic Club member moved to be part of Amber Valley & Erewash Athletic Club three years ago.

“We travel an hour and a half four or five times a week at the moment,” said Steve.

“We moved for the better facilities as Buxton don't have a track and he was moving from the cross country side, which Buxton are very good at, to more track. It made sense to move him.

“He is trained in all the events but he is currently fourth in the UK at long jump, so is concentrating on that.

“This is the first time he has been selected for the UK School games but on 8th/9th July he was in Manchester Arena for the English Schools Championships where he came fourth. He didn't jump his best but came fourth, so he was happy with it.”

Ryan was one of five AVEAC athletes representing Derbyshire at the English Schools in Manchester.

The meeting, which attracts the cream of young athletic talent in the country, was favoured with good weather and the AVEAC quintet performed well in what was the biggest competition so far in their athletic careers.

Agonisingly, Rawlinson just missed out on a bronze medal in the Intermediate Boy’s Long Jump, having been third right up to the fifth round with a jump of 6.45m.