Students to run at Olympic Stadium

Thursday 29th March 2012

One of the stars hoping to win gold for Team GB at this year's London Olympics will accompany a group of students as they take part in a unique test event at the Olympic Stadium.

High jumper Samson Oni, athletics coach for young persons' sports charity Greenhouse, will get a first glimpse at the finished stadium when he takes seven of his athletics students to the event on Sunday April 1.

The lucky girls from the Sarah Bonnell School in Newham, east London, have been chosen to take part in this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to run on the new 100m track just months before Usain Bolt.

Speaking ahead of the trip to the stadium, Samson said: "It will be great to see it finished so I can visualise where I will be (if my place is confirmed in June) and the huge crowd that will be there as I'm really excited about the Games.

"This is one chance in a million for my students and I'm delighted they can be part of the amazing day. This will be their first experience of running on a professional track and being a real athlete. They will enter the stadium through the official athlete route, warm up in the same area and view the track in the same way the athletes will do.

"I hope it will inspire them to train hard in school and who knows maybe one of them will be a future Olympian."

The students will join 1,000 members of the public at the official test event, courtesy of Gold Challenge, who allocated places to 150 charity partners including Greenhouse.

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