Harnessing Talent Athletes

Larry Achike - Olympian - Athletics

Biography:
A former rugby player for Sussex U19s, Larry eventually specialised in triple jump and has been involved with the Great Britain team since he became the World Junior Champion in 1994. Since then he has competed at every major Championship, winning Gold at the Commonwealth Games in 1998, which placed him 6th on the British all-time list.

Larry came 5th in the Sydney Games, setting a new personal best of 17.30 during the contest. He competed at the 2006 European Championships but failed to qualify for the final, and was also forced to withdraw from the 2006 Commonwealth Games after knee operation.

After struggling with various injuries over the past few years, in the build up to Beijing Larry managed to complete a full winter's training programme which enabled him to gain selection for his second Olympic Games after finishing behind the World Number Two triple jumper, Phillips Idowu in the Olympic Trials.

He made a fine comeback in Beijing where he finished 7th, eight years after his last appearance on the sport's biggest stage in Sydney where he placed 5th. At the 2009 World Championships having been in the last qualifying pace until the final jump, Larry missed out on making the final by two centimetres, finishing 13th.

Click here to see Larry's Competitive Record

Click here to find out about Larry's 'giving back to sport' activities and to see further sporting information.