Bishop’s Stortford High School student Luke Dunham second in boys’ 3,000m at School Games National Finals

Luke Dunham claimed a silver medal when he raced in an England vest for the first time at the School Games National Finals on Saturday (August 31).

The Year 12 Bishop’s Stortford High School student, 16, came second in the boys’ 3,000m at Loughborough University.

In a tactical race, Dunham, who made a break for victory with two laps to go, clocked 8min 37.69sec to finish less than two seconds behind champion Tom Webb (8.35.88). Max Sanderson was third in 8.39.61.

Fellow TBSHS pupil Sammy Brown was sixth in the boys’ 200m in a time of 22.60 while Gracie Smith, who attends Herts and Essex High School, was third in the netball tournament with London Mavericks.

There was also a fifth-place finish for Saffron Walden County High School’s Keira Shaw, from Clavering, in the girls’ 3,000m.

The School Games National Finals, which take place every two years, are designed for aspiring UK athletes, both para and able-bodied, to get a taste of the sort of high-pressure environment they might expect at the Olympics or Commonwealth Games.

Previous participants have gone on to compete for Team GB at the Olympics and Paralympics, including Katarina Johnson-Thompson, Dina Asher-Smith, Jonnie Peacock and Hannah Cockcroft.

For athletics events, only the top two athletes from each home nation are invited.