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Published: 29 April, 2010
by STEVE BARNETT

FENCING star Soji Aiyenuro has been fast-tracked as a future British Olympian after being handpicked to join the Lloyds TSB Local Heroes initiative, writes David Jordan.
The talented 16-year-old will receive a cash injection of £1,000 to help with training and competing after being selected as one of only 270 youngsters from across the UK.
The William Ellis pupil,  from Belsize Park, attended the London launch of the initiative at the Brit Oval, where he had masterclasses with former British Olympians Jonathan Edwards, Leon Taylor and double Paralympic champion Ellie Simmonds on sports psychology and media training.
Soji (pictured) has just returned from the Junior World Championships, where he was eliminated by eventual winner Artur Okunev.
He is confident that the additional financial support will be crucial in his bid to qualify for this year’s European Championships.
“The money will be really useful because there is a lot of travelling for all the different competitions we have,” said the Camden Fencing Club member.
“I have just moved up to the GB cadets class from junior class so I need to establish myself in a new age group. It is a busy year for us in fencing because we have got the Junior European Championships and I need to make sure I stay in really good form so that I can go there and do well.
“I was unlucky at the World Championships to face such a good fencer early on. Hopefully I can go to the European Championships and with a little more luck I will do really well there.”
The Europeans are being held in Denmark in November, and Soji is confident that with the right training he can make the cut.
“It’s going to be a bit of a development year for me with it being my first year in the GB cadets class, but hopefully I can go there and do well.”
The Lloyds TSB Local Heroes initiative, which is run in partnership with SportsAid, is designed to ensure more talent reaches the top and to ease the financial burden on parents.
Triple jump world record holder Edwards, who also won Olympic gold at the Sydney games in 2000, believes Soji’s inclusion on the scheme will play a major role in him following his lead.
Edwards said: “There are many top national and international performers like Soji out there who aren’t old enough or who haven’t quite done enough to receive lottery funding.
“They’ve all got the potential to make it to the top and the Lloyds TSB scheme will help to lighten the financial burden on them and their families.
“When I was 18 I was helped out by SportsAid myself and not only did it help me financially, but it was also a great feeling to have someone else believe in me.”
Local Heroes is an initiative providing support and funding to more than 270 of Britain’s most talented developing athletes on their journey to London 2012 and beyond.
See www.lloydstsb.com/localheroes to find out more about the Lloyds TSB Local Heroes initiative.