On Friday 24th July 2015 Shanard Jackson ran in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Stadium!

Shanard and a few of his teammates from Croydon Harriers competed in a 4x100m relay race.

Their race was part of a number of sprint relay races which were put on by British Athletics as part of it’s “Club:Connect Relays Programme”. These races are for athletes who compete in the Under 13 to Under 20 age groups, and are designed to educate and inspire them. The races took place before the main evening’s Athletics, which featured Mo Farah, Jessica Ennis-Hill, and Usain Bolt!

Shanard’s coach has been really impressed with his approach to training this year, and his performances in competitions. So much so that he promoted him to the Under 20s team AND gave him the honour of running the first leg! By running first Shanard had the responsibility of getting his team off to a good start. It also meant that he was featured on the big screen!

Shanard showed no sign of fear or nerves. He got off to a great start, and zoomed around the first bend and handed over the baton to his teammate. The rest of the team did their jobs equally well, and Croydon Harriers finished third in a time of 42.89secs.

A Soalla-Bell