Three of Buckinghamshire’s most talented young athletes received a £750 grant from the Bucks SportsAid Foundation last Friday.
High Wycombe boxer Jamal Khan, swimmer Connie Dean and Alex Smallwood, a sailor from Amersham, were given the grants in acknowledgement of their outstanding achievements in their respective sports.
The event, which took place at Dorney Lake and was part of the Bucks Sporting Lunch Club initiative, was sponsored by local businesses and raised over £6,000 which will continue to support the country’s top young athletes.
David McGregor, of Marlow based company TSL, said: “It’s an honour and privilege to be able to assist the three recipients in achieving their sporting goals.
“All the members and sponsors of the Bucks Sporting Lunch Club Wish them success in the future and we will follow their careers with great interest.”
Khan, 15, has won the GB Schoolboys Three Nations title for the last three years in a row and won bronze at the European Championships in Hungary last year.
He hopes to become world champion and emulate his heroes Muhammad Ali and Amir Khan and currently boxes in the highly respected NABC Championships.
Jamal Kahn has been making an impact in junior boxing
Dean, who is 17 and part of Maidenhead Marlins Swimming Club, has ambitions to reach the 2018 commonwealth games and the 2020 Olympics.
Her commitment to her sport means training for 16-18 hours a week and she specialises in the individual medley over the 200m-400m distances.
To date Dean’s finest moments in the pool have been finishing second in her age group at the National trials and attaining the qualifying standard for the European trials.
16-year-old Smallwood has competed at international level including the Junior Championships in Bulgaria last year and currently participates in the 420 sailing class.
He will take part in the selection process for the British team next Easter where if successful he could be part of the team at the European and World Championships.
It is a step that Smallwood views as important as he attempts to work his way up to the 470 sailing class in order to hopefully be in contention to make the 2024 Olympic team.
Alex Smallwood was one of three receipients of the grant
Fresh from covering the Rugby World Cup famous commentator Ian Robertson was guest speaker at the event and kept an audience of more than 150 captivated with anecdotes from his career.
He also presented the young sports stars with their grants and all three were grateful for the money which they said will go a long way towards paying for travel and equipment.
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