A Coleg Gwent trainee chippie is celebrating after recently returning from New Zealand – with a bronze medal from the IPC Athletics World Championships for javelin.
Eighteen-year-old Kyron Duke from Pontnewydd in Cwmbran, is over the moon with his recent success and is hopeful of a place in the Great Britain squad at the Olympics in London next summer: “It didn’t hit me until I stepped onto the podium in Christchurch that I’m now ranked third in the world for my sport, but now it’s sunk in I’m focussed on training again in a bid to go to London 2012.”
Kyron trains four or five times a week alongside studying carpentry at Coleg Gwent’s Pontypool Campus and his job as a carpenter with Cwmbran-based Dave Hawkesford – and when he gets the rare opportunity, he like to go fishing: “My life can be hectic fitting everything in; I train in Cardiff twice a week and then at my local gym a few times a week usually, but javelin is what I love and if you enjoy something it makes succeeding at it all the more rewarding so it’s worth it.”
Kyron’s family is no stranger to sporting success – his cousin is swimmer Gareth Duke who won gold and bronze medals at the 2004 Paralympics in Athens and silver four years later in Beijing.
Combining cardiovascular and weight training in the gym with swimming and perfecting his technique, Kyron’s on the right track to fulfil his Olympic dream, his world ranking can only work in his favour in the Olympic selection process. And Kyron feels it’s definitely within his grasp: “When I was younger I used to think ‘imagine if I could be the world number one’ and now it’s actually a real possibility.
“I would love to get to London 2012 and I will be doing all I can to make it there and this has given me a big boost towards that and hopefully I can show people how good I am.”
Kyron has travelled the world as a sportsman. Having also been a world champion weight lifter, his sporting achievements have now taken him to New Zealand, India, Germany, France, Portugal, the Czech Republic, Switzerland and is currently training for a junior world championships competition in Dubai.
“I’m really proud of what I’ve achieved and I’m optimistic for the future,” says Kyron who would like to take up his sport professionally full time: “My coaches have instilled a positive attitude in me – eat elite, sleep elite, train elite – be elite. So that’s what I’m aiming for.”
But he knows how important it is for him to have his carpentry qualifications as a back up: “I love coming to college and getting to learn a trade as I’ve always been interested in tools from a young age. Javelin’s my first love but it’s good to know I’ve got a good grounding for a career in something that comes a close second if I need it.”
