KING’S Ely Junior and Senior pupils were elated to welcome Olympic GB Hockey Gold Medallist, Alex Danson, to the school.
Alex, who has played for GB in three successive Olympics, gave an incredibly engaging and inspiring talk to girls from Years 7 to 13 about her time at school, progression in hockey and her recent Olympic success. She also spoke about the need to have a balance in life and not to ‘throw everything in one basket’.
Years 3 to 6, approximately 90 girls in total, were also treated to a coaching masterclass during the visit on Friday (November 18). Some great action shots were taken as pictured above.
Head of Hockey at King’s Ely, Chanre Bond, spoke of her delight about Alex’s visit: “We are truly honoured to have an Olympic champion visit the school. The girls were very lucky to not only hear her thoughts about hockey but experience her fantastic coaching.”
Alex was just 16 when she made her senior international debut in 2001, when she was also runner-up in the BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year. She has played for GB in three successive Olympics, winning a Bronze medal at London 2012, before the recent dream Gold medal in Rio, scoring five goals in the process. She has recently completed an OU degree and hopes to go into teaching, a career which ties in nicely with her work as an Athlete Mentor for Sky Sports Living for Sport and the Youth Sport Trust.