Just after midday on the 2nd July Jakki Marr, Head of Girls PE at Leighton Park, was delighted to receive a simple text from Leighton Park student Funto Fabunmi-Alade, “I won”.
Not only had Funto won the Senior Girls 200m English Athletics Championship race, but she had done so in a personal best time of 24.35 seconds. To put her achievement into context Funto is ranked 6th fastest this season in her age group (U20) and she is also in the top 10 target group for achieving a time under 24.4 seconds.
Funto joined Leighton Park School in Year 7 and is not only a talented athlete, but is also a key member of the Leighton Park community, being heavily involved in drama and music and was one of the lead vocalists in this year’s production of Evita. She also supported her house in the Christmas Pantomime, Little Red Riding Hood, playing a particularly scary and speedy wolf.
Head Alex McGrath, says, “Funto is such a role model to other students in the school, particularly the younger years. She is a great example of how Leighton Park encourages individual talent to grow and flourish and it is a credit to her that she has achieved so much as a young athlete, as well as being involved in so many aspects of school life.”