14-year-old sprinter defies age to become England under-17 champion

A teen sprinter who trains in Middlesbrough has sent shockwaves through the athletics world by becoming England under-17 champion over 60m.

Celine Obinna-Alo stormed to victory at the England Athletics Open U15/U17/U20 Indoor Championships at English Institute of Sport Sheffield on Saturday. Having clocked 7.46 seconds in both her heat and semi, the teen powered away in the final to finish in 7.38 seconds, a championship record and just 0.03 seconds outside Asha Philip’s British under-17 record.

At the age of 14, only Olympic 400m bronze medallist Katharine Merry has run quicker (7.35 seconds), placing Gateshead Harriers athlete Celine in an exclusive club. The youngster, from Houghton-le-Spring, said: “I’m really pleased and I’m so grateful to my friends, family, coaches, manager and everyone in my team who has supported me.”

Her coach Richard Kilty, from Stockton, winner of sprint relay bronze at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, took part in the medal ceremony. Presenting her with the gold medal, Richard said: “Well done champ, all of that hard work, I’m so proud of you – amazing.”

Celine trains at Middlesbrough Sports Village, which is run by Everyone Active in partnership with Middlesbrough Council. She is part of Everyone Active’s Sporting Champions scheme, which empowers aspiring athletes to achieve their full potential through access to state-of-the-art training facilities and mentoring support from Olympians and Paralympians.

These facilities include Middlesbrough Sports Village, Rainbow Leisure Centre and Neptune Centre, as well as 240 other sites across the country. Richard is an Elite athlete on the scheme, meaning he works alongside other established athletes – such as Maisie Summers-Newton and Lauren Steadman – to offer advice to up- and-coming hopefuls in mentoring sessions throughout the year.

Last summer, the initiative supported 26 Sporting Champions who competed in the Paris Olympics and Paralympics, achieving nine gold, six silver and eight bronze medals. Olympic silver medallist and former world record holder Colin Jackson is the scheme’s Ambassador. You can apply for the 2025-26 Sporting Champions scheme here.