Two British Olympic hopefuls hopped, skipped and jumped into a Saffron Walden school as part of their latest stop on the road to Rio.

Triple jumpers Kola Adedoyin and Nathan Fox put on a show at an assembly for children at Katherine Semar Junior School last Friday.

Pupils also got a chance to have a go, while teachers were unable to escape the ‘high knees’ and hopping exercises as part of the fitness circuits.

It was all part of the Sports for Schools programme, which sees British athletes visiting schools up and down the country in a bid to inspire the next generation.

Kola, who finished second in the British Olympic trials for 2012, said: “If we can inspire just one child to take up sport – not just with the aspiration of being an international athlete but for the fun of it and to have a healthy lifestyle – then it has been worthwhile.

“I’ve been doing this three-and-half years now and the reaction you get from the kids is overwhelming.”

He added: “The aim is to inspire them, but it doesn’t just work one way. It inspires me when I go back to training – the way they look up to me makes me remember how much I have achieved and motivates me to achieve even more.”

Nathan said: “It’s very rewarding for us, especially when you see a really talented child and think ‘we could have just unearthed a talent that can be nurtured in the future’. A kid that might not have tried the triple jump were it not for our visit.”

After the triple jump demonstrations, and a talk about the discipline, pupils were given the opportunity to ask Kola and Nathan questions. These ranged from how tall the athletes were to how far they could jump and when they first took up the triple jump.

Pupils were then given sponsor forms to help raise money to enhance the provision of PE across both Katherine Semar Junior and Infant schools. Money collected will also be split between helping athletes with their training costs and supporting the charity Action for Children.

Headteacher Ruth Callaghan said: “We like to promote every type of sport and the children were so inspired by the visit of Kola and Nathan. Both of them now have 265 new followers who are going to watch their journey all the way to the Olympics.”