JACK BURNELL

The boys and staff were thrilled and excited to invite the Olympic Jack Burrell to St John’s this week.  Jack is currently the world number one in the 10k open water swimming championships and was favourite to win the gold medal at this year Olympics.  Following a controversial disqualification Jack was unfortunately stripped of his medal.

This was an inspirational talk for a number of reasons: firstly for the boys to learn more about the training schedule and commitment that is required to perform at this high level at the sacrifices that are part and parcel to this journey.  Secondly Jack spoke powerfully about his personal journey over the past 4 week follow the disqualification and his plans for his return to the sport and how he managed his emotions in the immediate aftermath of this race.

The boy’s questions as always were insightful and intelligent and there is no doubt that this talk has had, and will continue to have, a very significant impact on them in the future.

We wish Jack every success in his next attempt in Tokyo 2020.