It’s going to be a big year for Sandwell’s top young athletes, who are gearing up for a busy year in 2017. Eighteen year old para-swimmer Scott Hadley, from Tipton, is aiming to build on a brilliant performance at the National Para-swimming championships in Manchester last month. Overall Scott achieved four personal best performances from his seven races, including winning gold medals in the mens 100m Backstroke (category S8) and the mens 100m Breaststroke (category SB7) representing the Orion swimming club.
Scott also picked up two silver medals during the two day meeting, when he was competing with some of the GB para-Olympic team from last summer’s Rio games.
Seventeen-year-old William Hall from Cradley Heath is also looking forward to 2017. Hockey player Will is already rated as one of the top eight goalkeepers in the country after an impressive training camp with England Hockey at Loughborough and a starring role at the Hockey Futures Cup competition in September. Will is now setting his sights on breaking into the England U18 squad.
Another Gifted & Talented athlete who ended the year on a high is 15-year-old Iris Oliarnyk, from Oldbury. Iris is already representing England in the pentathlon and recently won a team gold as part of the England team competing at Athlone in the Republic of Ireland. Iris won an individual bronze medal with a personal best score of 3446 points.
2017 will be a big year for Iris, who is already among the top young pentathletes in the country and will now step up to compete in the heptathlon, meaning Iris will add the javelin and 200 metres to compete in the seven event Olympic sport.
Councillor Richard Marshall, cabinet member for leisure and chair of the Gifted & Talented sponsorship board said; “Scott, Will and Iris are just three examples of what our young people can achieve with the right backing. All of the young people we sponsor are remarkably dedicated and I have to say, get superb backing from their families.
It's a privilege meeting people like Scott, Will and Iris and we are really excited at what all of our Gifted & Talented athletes will be achieving in 2017.”
