School students welcome Para athletes Ali Smith and Zac Shaw

Last Friday, Treloar School students welcomed Para athletes Ali Smith and Zac Shaw to their PE classes. Ali Smith is Team Air Ambassador and a Paralympian athlete. She invited her training partner Zac Shaw along to see how Treloar’s PE Team inspires our students to get active in their PE classes.

The PE Team, supported by Student Support Assistants, organised a circuit of field athletic activities for everyone to join in. Each class were encouraged to try each of the six activities to help them prepare for School Sports Day. Activities included a hammer throw, javelin, boccia, curling, and even a relay race.

In Tokyo 2020, Ali Smith was one of Paralympic GB’s silver medal-winning quartet in the Universal relay race. Together with Jonnie Peacock, Nathan Maguire, Libby Clegg and her guide Chris Clarke, the team clocked a new European record of 47.50. Ali Smith also has European Championship medals to her name—she won T38 400m silver at Berlin 2018 and bronze at Bydgoszcz 2021.

Zac Shaw is a visually impaired Para athlete for Great Britain who competes in T12 athletics. He won a Silver medal at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham last summer.

Both athletes have been selected for the World Para Athletic Championships in Paris, which starts in four weeks. Ali Smith and Zac Shaw took time out from their busy training schedule to visit Treloar’s. We’re so grateful for them giving up their time to come to Treloar’s and inspire our students to succeed. Everything we do in PE is about inspiring our students to have a go and participate, and see for themselves the wellbeing benefits and confidence they gain from taking part in sport.