Success of Kent's athletes at London 2012

Adam Gemili taken from BBC Sport © Getty Images A host of athletes from Kent have achieved success on the highest stage after being selected for and competing at the London Olympic and Paralympic Games this summer.  A total of 28 athletes were given the opportunity to perform in front of a home crowd, as well as a global audience, with 12 taking part in the Olympics and 16 featuring in the Paralympics.

Among them was 18 year-old sprint sensation Adam Gemili, from Dartford, who reached the semi final of the 100m against world class opposition. He ran a superb race and came third in heat 3. Adam also run in the 4 x 100m relay for Team GB.

Earlier in the year Adam ran a gold medal-winning run of 10.05 seconds at the World Junior Championships, the fastest time ever posted by a British Junior and the second fastest in Europe, at any level, this year. His success has been especially remarkable considering that, at this time last year, he was an aspiring footballer on the books of Dagenham and Redbridge, and had never had any Athletics training.

Jack GreenJack Green (pictured) disappointingly did not finish the Men’s 400m Hurdles heats at the Olympics after hitting a hurdle. However he ran magnificently in the Men's 400m Relay delivering the fastest leg of their heat in which TeamGB came second which put them through to the final. The 20 year-old, born in Maidstone, who trains with world champion Dai Greene, comfortably fulfilled the selection criteria by finishing second at the UK trials before running a new personal best of 48.60 seconds at the London Grand Prix, a time well under the Olympic ‘A’ standard. Green is another athlete who has enjoyed a meteoric rise in recent times, having only taken up Athletics seriously around two years ago.

Ross WilsonFor the Paralympics, 17 year-old Table Tennis player Ross Wilson was among those selected. The talented youngster, who trains at Howard Table Tennis Club, suffers from Multiple Epiphyseal Dysplasia, which affects the ends of his long bones, thereby severely restricting his movement. He played in Paralympic Class 8, for which he is currently ranked fifth in the world, and has won a host of medals at international level since switching from taking part in able-bodied competitions last year.

Steve BrownHe was joined in the ParalympicsGB team by no less than four members of Kent Crusaders Wheelchair Rugby Club, with Andy Barrow, Bulbul Hussain, Kylie Grimes and captain Steve Brown who all competed at the Games. The Crusaders, who train at Medway Park, were recently crowned National and European Champions.

See below for an overview of all the Kent athletes who took part in the Games this summer, including their success.

More of Kent's Talented Performers

Olympic athletes (BBC)


 

Paralympic athletes (Channel 4)

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