Meet Our Talented Athletes 2026

Alexander has been playing golf since age three and entered his first competition at five in the Wee Wonders event at Poult Wood Golf Club. Now 13, he competes at county, national and international levels.

He achieved a top-10 finish at the World Championships in the USA – featured on Netflix’s The Short Game – and holds a European title. With a handicap of +1.5, he was last year’s Kent Captain and is now in England’s Under-18 South Region squad. Alexander aims to turn professional and pursue college golf in the US.

Amalie, 16, swims for RTW Monson and began learning at Tonbridge Pool. Last year, she represented Great Britain at the European Junior Swimming Championships, winning gold in the 200m and 400m Individual Medleys, and has been selected multiple times to represent Kent nationally.

Her favourite events are the Individual Medleys, holding age group and junior British records in the 100, 200 and 400 IM, including a European Junior Record in the 400 IM. Outside swimming, she enjoys golf, paddle and spending time with family and friends.

Ben, nearly 13, has been swimming with Larkfield Swimming Club for three years. He started competing in triathlon at age seven, winning the South East Triathlon series for his age group.

His growing passion for swimming led him to focus fully on the sport, and he has since competed at Kent Championships twice, winning multiple golds in backstroke and freestyle, and will attend South East Regionals for a second year. Selected for the Swim England County Pathway in 2025, Ben aims to be selected for the regional pathway, hopes to compete at the English Nationals and the Olympics.

Charlotte, 15, has been climbing for seven years, competing in both bouldering and lead climbing. This year, she was selected for the U17 GB bouldering team after a top-10 finish at the GB trials in Manchester in January and is also part of the England development lead climbing team.

Excited for GB and England training sessions this year, Charlotte hopes to be selected for international competitions in the future and is looking forward to competing in the British Championships later in the year.

Danny regularly competes at regional, national and international events. Ranking second at the European Cup and third in the British Championships Superclass BMX in June, he has been selected for the World Championships in Brisbane later this year.

A member of Olympic Potential Programme, Finley was selected to represent GB at the English Open in June – placing first. At the European Championship in August his team ranked second and he was ranked third at the British Championship in September.

George began playing Korfball at age nine and, at 16, has represented England at the U17 World Cup and U19 European Championships in Turkey, finishing fifth. He plays for Bearsted Korfball Club, competing in both Kent Junior and Senior Leagues and in the National League. George has represented Kent at the Inter-Area Championships, helping them regain the U17 title.

Through the England Korfball Talent Programme, he has developed his skills, and with dedication and hard work, he is excited to see how far he can progress internationally.

Harry has represented England in Korfball, including competing at the U19 European Championships in Turkey, which has been a proud highlight of his sporting journey. Playing at a national level has developed his technical skills, tactical awareness, resilience, teamwork, and leadership.

He also plays a key role with Kingfishers and his university team, UEA, contributing to strong BUCS performances and a positive team environment. Harry is passionate about growing as a player, representing England internationally, and inspiring more players to engage with Korfball.

Iona, 13, became the youngest member of Paralympics GB at the Paris Games, winning silver in the SB7 100m Breaststroke. In 2024, she became a double European Champion, taking gold in the SB7 100m Breaststroke and SM7 200m Individual Medley, plus bronze in the S7 50m Butterfly. In 2025, she won medals at British and international events, including silver at the Para Swimming World Championships and a short-course world record in the SB7 100m Breaststroke.

Her 2026 goals are to compete at the Commonwealth Games, European Championships and break the long-course world record.

Competing at county, regional and national level, Jack holds automatic qualifying times for numerous SE regional events. He qualified for the Winter and Summer Nationals in 2025 and was a silver medalist in the Kent Open Championships. He holds 3 Medway all-time records and 20 all-time Larkfield Swimming Club records.

Jacob has represented England at both junior and senior level, as well as contributing to his University team’s success, including securing first place at the 2025/26 BUCS National Championship.

Jasper competes at both regional and national levels and is a two-time Kent champion. He’s had a great start to the year, winning the CORPS Boxing Championships in March.

Kara, 16, swims for Larkfield Swimming Club and first competed at the Kent County Championships at nine, winning podium medals in all events by ten. She has earned numerous County and Regional medals, including gold in the 100m backstroke, and competed in British and English National Finals. In 2025, she raced the 200m backstroke at the Aquatics GB Championships and has taken part in multiple Swim England development programmes.

Kara aims to represent England internationally and inspire younger swimmers.

Kian is a National Gymnastics Champion who loves training at Pegasus Gymnastics Club and competing. This year, he is excited to compete in Romania and aims to qualify to represent the South East region at the National Finals later in the year. Kian enjoys building and creating things, spending time with his family, and learning new skills.

He is looking forward to the future of his gymnastics journey, eager to keep improving, competing and discovering what opportunities lie ahead.

In 2025 Kirsty-Anne came first at the Double Warwickshire County Championship, third at the UK National Winter Throws and in August was a finalist at the British Championships. She is currently ranked fourth in England and the UK for women under 23s discus throw.

Leo is an International Gymnastics Champion representing England and the current Romanian National Champion. Recently re-selected for the England squad, he is excited to train with some of the best gymnasts at the National Training Centre.

This year, Leo hopes to compete internationally with Team England and at Romania’s National Championships, looking forward to new challenges in the competition arena. He is determined to train hard at Pegasus Gymnastics Club, balance his schoolwork, and continue to enjoy family time and travel.

Lucy is an U23 100m and 200m sprinter and a member of the 2025/2026 GB Olympic Futures Programme relay squad. She had an outstanding 2025 season, winning gold in the 200m in Mannheim, competing in the GB U20 4x100m relay at the London Diamond League, taking gold at the England U20 Championships, and earning silver in the 200m and 4x100m relay at the European Championships.

In 2026, Lucy aims to continue improving her sprint and relay times and hopes to gain selection for higher-level competitions, ultimately targeting the U23 Championships in 2027.

Matthew, 14, is a dedicated ITF Taekwondo athlete training at Synergy Martial Arts & Fitness under Master Tim Dunn.

Over the past two years, he has competed extensively across the UK, winning over 60 medals in patterns and special technique. In 2025, he earned his black belt and was named the club’s ‘Student of the Year’ for his commitment and contribution.

Selected to represent England in 2026, Matthew’s proudest achievement is winning Gold in Special Technique at the Euro ITF Taekwondo Championships on 15 April in Maribor, Slovenia.

Matthew is a junior cyclist racing for a team based in Harrogate, competing across the UK and Europe. Last year, he achieved 1st place at Round 6 of the National Road Series and 4th at Round 1, impressive results given he was in the younger half of his age group.

In 2026, he is competing again in the National Road Series and taking part in larger races across France, Spain, Belgium, and The Netherlands, with the goal of being selected for a professional development team in 2027.

Noemie is a road cyclist racing at UCI Continental level with DAS-Hutchinson. She began road racing in 2025 and quickly progressed from a 4th category rider to elite within a single season, achieving strong results nationally and internationally, including wins in the National Road Series and a podium at UCI Pro level. With a background in triathlon and athletics, she has developed a strong aerobic engine and resilience.

Noemie’s goal is to continue improving and compete successfully against the best riders in the world.

Olaf competes at national and international level and regularly attends England training camps to develop his performance. In May 2025, he was part of the top-performing team in England at the U15 Non-Shires League in Loughborough and in 2026 won a silver medal in the doubles at the Kent U19 tournament.

Romeo competes at county, regional and national level. He became the youngest male to qualify for the Winter Nationals in the 800m and 1500m in December, and currently holds 3 South East records and 7 Kent records. At the 2026 Kent County Championships, he achieved 10 gold, 3 silver and 1 bronze medal.

Sasha, 13, is a dedicated gymnast at Weald Gymnastics Club who began training at five. She has already made a mark, being Kent Champion in 2022 and 2025 and representing the South East team at the National Gymnastics Competition, winning bronze and silver medals.

Training 20 hours a week and attending monthly South East and Kent squad sessions, she constantly pushes herself to improve. Beyond gymnastics, Sasha is passionate about supporting younger gymnasts and giving back to her community.

Thomas, 18, is a purple belt Brazilian Jiu Jitsu athlete at Carlson Gracie Kent, training since age 10. He has competed nationally and internationally, winning silver at the 2023 European Championships and reaching the quarter-finals at the European and World Championships in 2025 after moving to adult competition. That year he also competed on Polaris Pro Grappling.

Since his purple belt promotion in December 2025, Thomas has won double gold at the IBJJF London Open and Madrid Open, and now aims to focus fully on training and ultimately compete at the ADCC World Championships.