Judo star Tom Davis visits Madeley Academy
Pupils at a secondary school in Telford got to grips with a former Commonwealth and British judo champion when he paid a visit.
Tom Davis, who was a reserve for the 2012 Olympic team, spent yesterday at Madeley Academy as part of the school's Sky Sports Living for Sport project.
He gave a judo demonstration to sixth formers, talked to students about how sport had changed his life, and presented awards to some of the youngsters.
Jackie Bletcher, student support teacher at the school, said: "We've had a brilliant day.
"They really enjoyed themselves and it was nice to see them doing something that's contact, because they wouldn't normally do that.
"We had boys throwing girls and girls throwing boys, and everyone had so much fun. The whole school's been buzzing. People have been stopping Tom in the corridor to ask for his autograph. He met just about every child in the school. I think he enjoyed himself – he's been smiling the whole day. He's felt it's been a really positive day."
Tom, who competes in the 81kg category, won the Commonwealth judo championships and the British championships in 2005. He is now aiming for the 2016 Olympics.
He said: "I wanted to tell the students that sport really can change lives. I hope I've managed to inspire the students at Madeley Academy to get involved with the project and discover the fantastic benefits that can be reaped from taking part in sport."
