By Chris Bailey
He is only 14 years old, but Merton’s Kishon Allen is already thinking about setting an example to an even younger generation after sprinting to silver at the 2013 Balfour Beatty London Youth Games.
With London’s best talent on show for the finals weekend of Europe’s largest annual youth sports event, Allen helped Merton do battle as the capital’s 33 boroughs came together in competition.
Just 24 hours before the event, the Rutlish School pupil clinched bronze in the 100m at the English Schools’ Championships in Birmingham, and quickly rushed back down from the West Midlands.
He recovered in time to post 11.40seconds at the Games and, though not enough to win gold, an upbeat Allen vowed to uphold the Olympic legacy in the decades to come.
“Hopefully I’ll become an Olympian and hold world records for the 100m and 200m,” said Allen.
“It will make me feel very good if one day I am an inspiration for young athletes as I would have been in their position.
“I would know how it feels to look up to someone and hopefully I will make them want to perform better.
"There is a great atmosphere at the Games and I’m very happy with my position. A medal is a medal and it always makes you feel proud.
"The Games also enable you to see where your level is at and it makes you want to get even better.
"The English Schools was good for me as no-one expected me to medal, and I was able to get a bronze which I was very pleased with.”
Allen’s silver helped Merton to 29th overall in the Jubilee Trophy standings – jumping three places up from last year’s effort.
There was further individual success on the track with Charmont Webster-Tape claiming 200m bronze and admitting to feeling humbled to follow in the footsteps of Mo Farah and Christine Ohuruogu at the London Youth Games.
“The Games were really exciting, enjoyable, quite competitive and hard,” said the 13-year-old, who attends Harris Academy Merton.
“To think that Olympians took part in the Games gives me a big boost as if they can make it provides us with hope that we can make it too.
“It enables everyone in London to come together, compete and show everyone what they are capable of.”
The London Youth Games is delivering a sporting legacy from the 2012 Olympics and Paralympics by inspiring more young Londoners to play and volunteer in sport. London’s councils including Merton along with Balfour Beatty and Sport England support Europe’s largest annual youth sports event which has over 100k athletes competing across 85 competitions over nine months.
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