THERE was a special guest teacher taking PE today at Croesyceiliog School.

Welsh Olympian Joe Brier dropped in to put Year 7 through their paces.

The runner competed for Team GB in the 4x400m relay at the Tokyo Games last year, finishing 14th.

He also competed at the European Indoor Championships in Poland last year, picking up a bronze medal.

Mr Brier explained that he had been speaking about the importance of physical activity at schools across the country.

The visit is part of a wider Youth Sport Trust project, through which a series of Olympians are reaching out to local schools across the home nations to inspire the next generation.

"I like to show the kids that I wasn’t the best at sport growing up," Mr Brier explained.

"Loads of kids drop off from sport in secondary school."

He said the best way to stay engaged with sport was to remember why you enjoyed it in the first place.

"Sport’s not about becoming elite or making money," he said.

"If that does happen then well done, but the social aspect is the most important thing. Especially after the last two years."

Mr Brier put the students through their paces with a warm up and then a demonstration of how to fire out of the blocks at the start of a sprint.

He answered questions from the children such as “who is the most famous athlete you’ve met?”, “how did you deal with bullies?” and “can I have a selfie with you?”

He spoke of the importance of a balanced diet and also of learning from when you lose.

“You learn from losing far more than winning,” he said.

Teacher Mrs Pryce said: “It was fantastic to have Joe in today, inspiring our pupils.

"It showed how hard an athlete works.

"Our Year 7s have been restricted during the pandemic and having Joe here helps reinforce the importance of hard work."