St Swithun’s athlete selected for British Athletics elite development programme

Talented athlete Maddie Turner (left), who is 17 years old and currently studying for her A levels at St Swithun’s, has been selected for a place on the 2018–2020 Athletics Academy in Sporting Excellence programme.

The programme is a key part of the British Athletics Performance Pathway for young athletes aged between 16 and 18. The pathway programme gives athletes the opportunity to learn and develop the necessary knowledge and skills to progress on to become a senior international athlete, and is designed to support club training.

Maddie has traditionally competed in the 300m hurdles. She trains with coach John Miller for Winchester and District Athletics Club, and earlier this year set a personal best time of 45.04 seconds. Maddie is now starting to compete in the 400m hurdles as part of her Athletics Academy progression.

Maddie was invited to apply for the course after placing 13th in the country for her event in the British Athletics Power of 10 rankings. The Academy will grant her access to a nutritionist, psychologist and mentor, as well as providing important workshops on topics such as Clean Athletics education and career planning. At the end of the two years, Maddie will have earned a Sporting Excellence Diploma.

Talking about the opportunity, Maddie said, ‘I cannot wait for my first regional camp in March. I am really excited to begin the workshops and look forward to seeing how much I can improve over the next two years.’