Athletics: Twell Inspires Dreams of 2012 Glory

It may still be more than six years away, but there is little doubt that the London Olympics in 2012 was on the mind of nearly all of the 1,600 competitors at the seventy-sixth English Schools Championships.

Steph Twell, 16, from Farnborough, was wearing a London 2012 pin on her shirt and, to judge from her performance in the 3,000 metres at Crystal Palace, she can harbour realistic hopes of being a contender for a place in the Great Britain team at those Games. She won a high-quality race in 9min 7.41sec, only three seconds outside the 14-year-old record set by Paula Radcliffe.

Twell would have got even closer if it had not been for the windy conditions. 'I wear it every day,' Twell said of her pin. 'I want to be on that start line in 2012.'

The English Schools has been called the 'Kids Olympics' and the list of champions reads like a roll call of Britain's great athletes. Apart from Radcliffe, previous winners include Sebastian Coe, Steve Ovett, Steve Cram, Linford Christie, Sally Gunnell and Daley Thompson.

Twell is one of a group of richly talented young British female middle-distance runners who have been inspired by the achievements of Radcliffe and Kelly Holmes, another former English Schools champion.

Another is 17-year-old Emily Pidgeon. While Twell was celebrating her first English Schools title, Pidgeon was claiming her eighth in the 1500m. The prodigiously talented Cheltenham runner again looked impressive as she won easily in 4:18.24.