Teen athlete all set to represent GB at obstacle championships

A TEENAGER from Wargrave will represent Great Britain in the Obstacle Course Racing World Championships next week.

Logan Hands, 15, who lives in High Street, will compete in the 100m sprint discipline in his age group for the world championships in Gothenburg, Sweden, which runs from Thursday to Sunday.

Logan, who is in Year 11 at the Piggott School, was selected after he took part in his first 100m sprint for the British Obstacle Course Championships in December, reaching the knockout finals.

The event comes three months after he reached the quarter-finals at the European Championships in Jamor, Portugal, in June where he set a time of 35.2 seconds in the event. He placed eighth in Europe for his age category.

The 100m discipline requires competitors to take on a course which features 11 obstacles designed for speed and agility.

They are monkey bars, balance beams, a 1.5m wall, spinning wheels, a rope swing, climbing holds, a warped wall which requires a run-up and cargo nets.

The championships will feature timed qualifiers alongside another athlete. The top 16 athletes advance to the head-to-head knockouts.

Logan has been training about six hours a week across four training sessions and has a balance beam in his garden at home, which his father Alex, who runs A Stitch in Twine in Binfield Heath alongside wife Rabea, installed to aid his training. He has also trained in Italy with other GB athletes for a weekend to get used to the format.

Logan said: “I’m feeling ready and prepared. I’ve had a good summer of preparation.

“This is definitely the biggest competition I’ve ever done. I’d like to make it through the heats but at the moment I want to focus on getting to a time goal. It definitely feels cool to represent GB.”

Logan, who plays football for Wargrave Wolves, has been training in the sport since he was 11. He will be competing for GB under British Obstacle Sports, which is the national governing body.

Logan follows in the footsteps of his parents, who have competed in the sport since 2016, typically in the longer 5km or 10km races.

He will stay in an Airbnb with his parents shared with other parents and their children who are competing.

To make a donation towards the trip and his training, visit gofund.me/835bfaa2