Discus star Matilda Farrar insists she was laser-focused on achieving glory as she took home gold at the School Games National Finals.

The School Games National Finals is a biennial four-day multi-sport event for young athletes of school age and is funded by Sport England National Lottery Funding and backed by all the Home Country Sports Councils and UK Sport.

Farrar’s event was first thing on Friday morning and while some may see the early slot as unenviable, thrown into action with little time for mental preparation, the 16-year-old prodigy had no problems rising to the occasion, instead seeing the timing as a blessing.

Farrar said: “I was first in the morning. There weren't many people here, but the energy was still amazing, so it's been lovely.

“I love being first thing, it really helps, there's no distractions, I can focus straight away.”

Held at the outstanding sporting facilities of Loughborough University, this year’s School Games National Finals were the 16th since the inaugural event in Glasgow in 2006 and took place as part of an amazing summer of sport including the EUROs and the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The event has a history of breeding sporting superstars, with former participants at the event including Team GB worldbeaters Katerina Johnson-Thompson, Keely Hodgkinson, and Josh Kerr.

With the crowd out in full force by the time Farrar received her medal, she was delighted to bask in the spotlight, with the atmosphere inspiring her to reach even bigger heights.

“I've had quite a few competitions and none of them have quite had the same atmosphere as this, so it's quite nice to think that I can do this again and have something similar in the future,” she added.

“I think the crowd really helped me. It's just nice to feel support and feel people watching you and cheering you on every time, even if it's a bad throw, which was really lovely to have.”

The School Games National Finals is a biennial four-day multisport event for young athletes of school age and is funded by Sport England National Lottery Funding and backed by all the Home Country Sports Councils and UK Sport.