We were thrilled to welcome international athlete, Alex Melloy, to King’s before he competes in the World University Cross Country Championships!
Alex, who is from the Ely area and studying business at Loughborough University, is a medal-winning, Adidas-sponsored, 1,500-metre runner. This week, Alex is travelling to Oman to represent Great Britain in the World University Cross Country Championships, in both the mixed relay event and the men’s short course race.
Alex made time in his busy training schedule to visit us on February 9th. He inspired our Sports Scholars, Senior students and staff with a fascinating talk about his athletics career so far, covering everything from hurdles he has had to overcome to the perks of being sponsored by a global brand!
In a post on LinkedIn after his visit, Alex wrote: “I had the privilege of delivering a presentation to the Sports Scholars at King’s Ely about the value of a professional mindset and benefiting from the one percent margins in life. Thanks to Alex Meddle, Joshua Jordan, and the rest of the staff at King’s Ely for inviting me in to speak to such a driven group of students. I thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity.
“During the presentation, I took the students back to the place and time where my career started – King’s Ely’s very own playing fields. This is where I first met my coach, Mark Vile, who has been my coach ever since. The County Schools Cross Country Championships, held at King’s, was my first exposure to a competitive environment in the sport, and an event I always look back on with fond memories.
“I went on to discuss the importance of finding the right support to help the students’ progress in their own careers, particularly noting how pivotal the support from adidas, Loughborough University, SportsAid and Grovemere Property Limited have been, allowing me to step closer to my aspirations of representing Great Britain at the Olympics one day in the future.
“Thanks to all the Sports Scholars and many other students at King’s Ely who had lots of great questions about a career in professional sport. I look forward to seeing you all again in the summer when I will be joining you in a training session.”
One student who was particularly excited to meet Alex was King’s Ely Senior athlete, Oliver Loveday. Last summer, Oliver sprinted his way to the finals of the English Schools Track and Field Championships in Birmingham, representing Cambridgeshire in the Junior Boys’ 1,500m race!
Mr Alex Meddle, who is Director of Sport at King’s Ely Senior, said: “It was fantastic to welcome Alex to King’s and for pupils to meet someone who first competed on King’s playing fields turning into a professional athlete. Alex discussed the opportunities that University has given him, and what it takes to be successful at the highest level. His talk highlighted that to be successful in any field there will be setbacks, but that persistence and commitment will result in you overcoming the challenges. This is an approach that we want all pupils to follow, especially when representing the school in sports.”
Thank you so much for visiting us Alex, and good luck in Oman – we will all be cheering you on!