A NUMBER athletes from West Fife will take their place alongside some of the UK’s best young athletes at the prestigious School Games next week.

Alana Dunsmore, Ben Grant, Christopher Carr, Duncan Morrison, Alex Stewart, Fiona Todman, Emma Rae, Mark Alvares-Peres, Cara Smyth, Katrina Dungay, Robbie Brown and Eden Steele have been selected to take part in the event at Loughborough University and Sheffield from Thursday, September 1 to Sunday, September 4.

A national multi-sport event for elite young athletes from across the UK, 1,600 competitors will take part across 12 sports, seven of which include disability disciplines, and the fencing programme will see no less than six members of West Fife Fencing Club compete.

Woodmill High trio Alex Stewart, Katrina Dungay and Duncan Morrison, alongside Robbie Brown, Christopher Carr and Eden Steele, from St Columba’s, and Dunfermline High’s Mark Alvares-Peres, will fight for Scotland at a Games where all three weapons – épée, foil and sabre – will feature in both standing and wheelchair fencing.

They will be joined by Queen Anne High’s Fiona Todman, who will compete in judo, Pitreavie AAC star Emma Rae will compete in the shot put during the athletics events, and Inverkeithing High pupil Cara Smyth will swim for Scotland South and East.

Pitreavie pole vaulter Alana Dunsmore, of Woodmill High, is also part of the athletics squad after winning Scottish under-17 and under-20 titles in recent weeks, while Ben Grant, who trains with the club, will run in the 400m and 4x400m relay.

While 11 of the events will take place at Loughborough University, the swimmers will take to the pool at the Olympic-sized pool at Ponds Forge in Sheffield.

The youngsters will follow in the footsteps of some of Britain’s biggest sporting stars who have competed at the School Games before going on to senior international success, including Olympic gold medallist and world record-breaking swimmer Adam Peaty and heptathlete Katarina Johnson-Thompson.

Christopher commented: “I am very excited about being selected again.

“As this is my second selection, I know what the Games can provide.

“I am looking forward to the Games experience as a whole.”

Dalgety Bay swimmer Cara, who competes for InCAS, added: “I am very excited and honoured to have been selected for the team to represent Scotland East and South.”

At the event they will experience the excitement of competing at the highest level and live within an Olympic-style Athletes’ Village, attend spectacular opening and closing ceremonies and perform in front of a crowd of thousands.