Millfield Athlete joins UK's Elite High Jumpers at U20 Indoor Championships

Upper Sixth Millfield student André Onyekwe delivered outstanding Jumps at the England U20 Indoor Championships in Sheffield, placing him amongst the UK’s Elite athletes.

André cleared an impressive 1.97m to take silver in the High Jump, adding to what has already been an exceptional indoor season. He also got a personal best of 7.01m in the Long Jump, finishing fifth against the country’s top U20 athletes. He currently ranks among the UK’s top 10 U20 athletes in both events.

Reflecting on his achievements, André said; “Getting a silver in High Jump and fifth in Long Jump at the England Indoor Age Group Championships means a lot to me. I have spent most of the winter months training hard and looking ahead to this indoor season. Although the high jump was not a PB, clearing 2m at the Welsh Championships a couple of weeks earlier gave me the confidence that I could medal, so I was happy to come away with silver. I was equally pleased to achieve a personal best in the Long Jump.”

18 year old André, from Leamington Spa, began his athletics journey at the age of six with Leamington Athletics Academy, competing from the age of nine. “During the first few years of my athletics journey, I enjoyed participating in different track and field events, alongside other sports. However, when I was about 14 years old, I realised I had a particular passion for the jumps.”

Training five times a week at Millfield, André balances three track sessions including two technical jump sessions and a speed session, alongside two gym sessions dedicated to building strength and power.

He praises the athletics team at Millfield: “The team are incredibly supportive and have really helped me develop myself since I joined as a Lower Sixth. Mr Wheeler (Director of Athletics) structures the training sessions and my coach, Christian North, works closely with me in training to help me improve all my jumps technically, as well as getting me prepared for competitions throughout the season." 

Looking ahead, André hopes to continue both his academic and athletic journey at university. He says “I will train hard to develop myself as a student athlete, specialising in one or two of the jumps. I plan to compete at the highest level that I can.”

Millfield Head of Athletics, Neil Wheeler, said “André has enjoyed an excellent indoor season, and just as impressive as the results is his approach to training. He balances two sports superbly, shows real consistency in his sessions, and works closely with the coaching team on his development. Hopefully, he’ll head into the outdoor season with confidence and leave Millfield in the summer ready for the next stage of his athletics career.”

With the outdoor season on the horizon, André’s goals remain ambitious, “I want to achieve personal bests in high jump, and long jump as well as challenge for medals at national level competitions in the summer."