A Level student Will Stokes’ performance at last week’s English Schools Combined Events National Championships has secured him a place as one of the top 20 school/college octathletes in England.

Will, a former pupil at Chilton Trinity School and from Bridgwater, represented BTC at the event in Exeter as part of the four-man Somerset team. They competed against athletes representing schools and colleges from all over England who had qualified through County and Regional Championships to secure their place in the National Finals.

Will started the Intermediate Boys Octathlon competition by securing a personal best in long jump, followed by a season’s best in javelin and discus, and then equalling his personal best in the final event of the day, the 400 metres.

Somerset started day 2 in first place. Will shaved a fantastic 0.6 seconds off his personal best in the 100 metre hurdles. The rain subsided for both the high jump and shot put, with Will achieving yet another personal best in the shot put.

Going into the final event, Somerset were marginally in front of Hampshire. Will and the Somerset team knew that the 1500 metres was not their strongest discipline and were narrowly beaten to the Gold Medal position by Hampshire.

Congratulations to the team on their silver medal, and to Will on consolidating his position in the top 20 in England.