Olympian gives students a masterclass

10:12am Saturday 22nd November 2008

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OLYMPIC pentathlete Katy Livingston has given an insight into the life of an athlete to a group of sports students.

The students at Redcar and Cleveland College were given a masterclass by the 21-year-old Redcar star yesterday.

The group, who are studying for their BTEC National Diplomas in sports and fitness, got the chance to ask questions about the time and dedication it takes to be a top-level professional athlete.

The students, who are undertaking a module on coaching, were told about Katy’s daily training programme and diet, before getting some practical guidance of the kinds of exercises and activities that she goes through every day.

Katy’s discipline of the modern pentathlon involves competing in five events – running, swimming, pistol shooting, fencing and horse riding.

She talked about her experiences in Beijing and told students about her hopes for winning a medal at London 2012 games.

Katy said: “It was fantastic to be invited along to the college to meet with the students and I hope that I inspired some of them to follow in my footsteps and compete at the Olympics in 2012. The students showed that they had really done their homework on the pentathlon and my career and it’s great that my visit today has actually contributed to the qualification they will achieve.”

Gary Groom, principal of Redcar and Cleveland College, said: “We’re extremely grateful to Katy for giving up her time to come into the college and visit the students.

“Her session with the students gave a fantastic insight into how she has managed to reach the pinnacle of her sport.”