Paralympian Katrina Hart inspired pupils at Taunton Preparatory School when she led a circuit fitness session last week.
The pupils were excited to meet Katrina, a multi-medal winning 100m and 200m sprinter, who was born with cerebral palsy and has won gold, silver and bronze medals at the Olympic, world, Commonwealth and European IPC games.
Katrina was at the school to promote the importance of exercise and fitness. During the morning all pupils from Years 3 to 8, and a few keen members of staff, took part in the circuit in the school’s sports hall. The children also got to hear about how Katrina’s disability affected her during childhood and how her PE teacher at school inspired her to never give up and to become an Olympic athlete.
Atul Gudsoorkar, in Year 3, said he was “surprised to have an Olympic athlete here but inspired to win his own bronze medal in 2028!”
Verity Winsor, in Year 8, said: “The circuit was quite tiring but good fun. It was quite sad to hear how Katrina was affected when she was born but amazing how active she is and how she managed to win an Olympic medal”.
Katrina said: “I was inspired by my PE teacher and that is how I got into sport at school. I was taught how important it is to maintain your fitness and have a healthy lifestyle. I hope that the children will be encouraged to try different sports, as one size doesn’t fit all and there are so many to choose from.”
