Yorkshire Young Achievers Foundation Trustee Ash Barnard presents a grant from the Foundation to talented young sprinter Ben Stephenson.
Eighteen-year-old Ben Stephenson of Ingleby Arncliffe near Northallerton is studying Sport and Exercise Science at Loughborough University and is currently one of the top ten 200m sprinters in the country for his age group.
Ben, who attended Stokesley School, is in training for next season and hopes to win a place at the British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS) Outdoor Athletics Championships in 2012 which will be held at the London Olympic stadium as a test event for the London 2012 Olympics.
He discovered his talent for sprinting in 2007 and in his first year of competition qualified for the English Schools Championships and the National Championships where he put in two personal best performances. Since then he has achieved more medal success and has improved his times year on year, often competing against runners two years older than him.
Ben’s aim is to compete for Great Britain in the near future and the grant from the Yorkshire Young Achievers Foundation will help him with his travelling and training expenses. He said: “This will really make a difference. Whether it’s petrol or train, gym or track, none of it is cheap!”
Foundation Chairman Peter McCormick OBE said: “Ben is a young man who is striving to achieve his very best without any financial support and this is exactly the type of endeavour that the Foundation wants to support. We wish him the best for the 2012 season.”