A BRITISH judo star was hoping to inspire the “champions of tomorrow” as he put primary school pupils through their paces on Thursday (Dec 8).

Olympic hopeful David Logan, 19, who has set his sights on competing at London 2012, visited St Thomas More Primary School in Saffron Walden.

He ran a sponsored fitness circuit alongside Sports 4 All UK managing director, Demetrios Bradshaw, which included press-ups, star jumps and squat thrusts.

The three-time British champion then gave a talk about his skills and achievements, before demonstrating a couple of judo techniques.

He said it was an “amazing feeling” being able to visit schools and help inspire children to get involved in sport.

“When I was young I never had somebody come out to motivate me, who I could look up to as my idol and give me that extra motivation to do better,” he said.

“They are the champions of tomorrow. I want to encourage them to go out there and achieve their hopes and dreams – not only with sport but also with education.”

Having taken up judo when he was 10, Logan’s goal is to compete at both London 2012 and the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro four years later.

In between he said he would also like to study maths at university.

Sports 4 All UK sees Olympic and professional athletes visit about 500 schools a year in a bid to inspire children to get involved in sport and encourage the next generation of budding Olympians.

Money raised from the sponsored event will go towards the school’s PE budget and also help prospective athletes pay for equipment, training and travelling costs.