While Olympic athletes are dreaming of winning just one gold medal in London, our students have returned from a regional athletics event with an array of them!

Year 8 students, Laurie, Isaac and Holly attended the North East Junior Regional Athletics Championships at Monkton Stadium in Jarrow to take part in a variety of events for young people with a disability. Fellow students, Daniel and Laura, who accompanied them on the trip along with Learning Support mentor, Mrs Barlow, watched with excitement from the sidelines as all three went on to win not one, not two, but in Laurie's case, three gold medals!

Holly achieved two gold medals in her events and Isaac not only returned to King James proudly sporting two golds and a bronze, but he also broke two regional records, guaranteeing him a place in the National Finals which will be held at Warwick University.

The group also got to hold a genuine Olympic torch, used for the 2006 Winter Olympics in Italy. This was a truly memorable moment for Year 10 student, Daniel, who is a huge sports fan: "The torch looked really heavy," he said, "but I was surprised because it actually wasn't too bad. I think it would be really difficult to carry it for a whole mile though!"

The excitement didn't end there however as, riding high on their success at Jarrow, the five-strong team also returned wearing medals from round two of the Olympic-inspired "Legacy Games', this time held at Gateshead International Stadium. Here, students took part in a variety of sports including Golf, Judo, Fencing, Archery, Rugby, Football and Boxing.

"Attending these events has been such fun and a fantastic experience for the whole group," said Mrs Barlow. "Now, we're all really looking forward to supporting Isaac, and hopefully Laurie and Holly too, in the National Finals."