Haringey's young athletes celebrate gold medals at London Youth Games

The borough won golds in tennis as well as para football and para athletics

Haringey's London Youth Games tennis champs — Haringey’s London Youth Games tennis champs

Young athletes representing Haringey borough brought home multiple gold medals from last month’s London Youth Games.

Haringey won the London Youth Games tennis tournament, which includes both boys and girls, while teams representing the borough were also crowned winners in para football and para athletics.

Meanwhile, there were silver medals won for Haringey in the girls under-13s football tournament and in the London Youth Games indoor rowing event.

In the boys and girls para football tournament, players took part in two categories: sensory-hearing impairment and mild learning disability (MLD).

Michael, Haringey’s team manager, said “It feels amazing for the kids to win double gold in the para football for Team Haringey. What we do in Haringey is bring different schools all together, helping them meet other kids from different areas of Haringey.”

In the tennis tournament, Haringey also secured gold medal out of the 20 boroughs competing in the mixed team event. The Haringey players represented their borough “with pride” and displayed “brilliant tennis” in the battle to be crowned London’s champions.

Nicola Barron, Haringey’s tennis team manager, said: “Last year we got the bronze and this year we’re outright gold winners. The players have bonded together, and they’ve supported each other a lot.”

At Mile End Stadium last month, it was also a day to remember for the young athletes proudly representing Haringey, as they fought off stiff competition to come out on top to secure a gold medal finish in both the boys and girls competitions.

The young athletes competed in a variety of accessible track and field events to represent their borough and have a unique and memorable chance to compete for a medal. The stands were filled with support from parents, coaches and teammates.

The inclusion of para athletics at the London Youth Games has long provided a platform for future careers, with alumni including the likes of London 2012 gold medallist David Weir.

Asher, a Haringey participant, said: “It was a really good experience. Before the race, I was doubting myself, but now I know I should never do that.”

In the under-13s football competition, Haringey claimed second place out of the 21 boroughs who competed in round robin matches. Haringey played “brilliantly throughout the day” with great support from parents and teammates.

In the indoor rowing competition, Haringey also claimed second as London boroughs came together to compete in exciting individual and relay races on rowing machines. The high-energy day saw each rowing machine surrounded by support from teammates and coaches, with borough team manager Michael losing his voice after encouraging his team to a podium finish throughout a packed day of excitement and activity.

Joanna, one of Haringey’s indoor rowing participants, said: “We were all motivating each other during the relay, helping each other out. I feel really appreciative of this silver medal, we earned this.”

The organisers of the London Youth Games remain dedicated to ensuring that every young person in London has access to inclusive and empowering sporting and physical activity experiences. The competitions highlight the “power of sport to build confidence, resilience, and community”.

More than 10,000 young people compete in the games every year.

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