Team GB Finish AYOF 2009 With 68 Medals
19 Jan 2009
Team GB depart Sydney with a tremendous haul of 26 gold, 16 silver and 26 bronze medals from the 2009 Australian Youth Olympic Festival (AYOF) – 68 medals in total. This comprehensively beats Team GB's 2007 medal tally of 14 gold, 20 silver and 14 bronze medals.
Reviewing Team GB’s outstanding performance in this AYOF, Team GB Chef de Mission Mark England commented:
“This is a very talented group of young athletes. To come to the other side of the world, and to compete in temperatures over 40 degrees, against top class opposition is a huge undertaking.
“To do that and win 68 medals is exceptional. Whilst it’s pleasing to see our traditionally strong sports producing new talent, I’m also delighted that sports such as archery, diving, fencing, hockey, shooting and triathlon have a real depth in talent at this junior level.
“Some of these athletes will make the transition to the senior ranks in their sport quite quickly. For others the journey will be more measured, but when you look at these performances the future is extremely bright, which means we're in good shape for the 2012 and 2016 Olympic Games.
“It has been a great week and all credit to the team managers, coaches and support staff who have worked extremely hard to allow the athletes to perform to the best of their abilities on the field of play. I 'm very proud of the whole team.“
To view Team GB athlete biographies click here.
For more information contact the Team GB press office in London on 020 8871 2677.
For free images of Team GB athletes at the AYOF take a look at: http://smartset.com.au/teamGB/