Cash boost for Olympic hopeful (From News Shopper)

Cash boost for Olympic hopeful

3:48pm Tuesday 27th April 2010 in

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By David Jordan

BIGGIN HILL pole-vaulter Scott Huggins has been fast-tracked as a future British Olympian after being handpicked to join the Lloyds TSB Local Heroes initiative.

The 20-year-old former Charles Darwin pupil will receive a cash injection of £1,000 to help with the cost of training and competing after being selected as one of only 270 youngsters from across the UK.

Huggins attended the London launch of the initiative where he received master classes with former British Olympians Jonathan Edwards, Leon Taylor and double Paralympic champion Ellie Simmonds on sports psychology and media training.

And after an injury plagued 2009, the Blackheath & Bromley Harrier has set his sights on qualifying for this summer’s Commonwealth Games.

Huggins, who qualifies for Scotland through his parents, said: “I missed the whole of the summer season with two stress fractures in my back, so it was a bit of a disastrous year for me.

“I then had appendicitis in the autumn which ended my year totally because I couldn’t regain my fitness in time to really compete after that.

“But I’m really hopeful that this year I can make amends by going to the Commonwealth Games with Scotland and doing well.

“My whole year is built around that and I need to jump 5.20m twice during the year and then I need to finish in the top three at the national trials in Pitreavie in July.

“To come back from the year I have had and make the Commonwealth Games would be the biggest achievement of my life.

“I think the pole vault is looking really good in Britain.

“Our standards for qualifying are higher than those set by the IAAF which is the right attitude and having Steve Lewis on the scene is really dragging it up.”

Now in its third year, the Lloyds TSB Local Heroes initiative, which is run in partnership with SportsAid and has supported 589 young British Olympic and Paralympic prospects, is designed to ensure more talent reaches the top.

It also aims to ease the financial burden on parents.

Triple jump world record holder Edwards, who also won Olympic silver at the Atlanta Games in 1996, believes Huggins’ inclusion on the scheme will play a major role in him fulfilling his potential in the sport.

Edwards said: “There are many top national and international performers like Scott out there who aren’t old enough or who haven’t quite done enough to receive Lottery funding.

“They’ve all got the potential to make it to the top and the Lloyds TSB scheme will help to lighten the financial burden on them and their families.

“When I was 18, I was helped out by SportsAid myself and not only did it help me financially but it was also a great feeling to have someone else believe in me.”