Walthamstow’s very own Olympic hero, Lutalo Muhammad, will this month spend time with 12 schools in Newham and Waltham Forest as he seeks to share the journey that took him from growing up in East London to the pinnacle of his sport.

Organised by London Sport, Lutalo’s visits will take in Leytonstone School, George Mitchell School, Norlington School for Boys, Woodside Primary Academy and Hillyfield Primary in Waltham Forest, and Little Ilford School, St Bonaventure’s, Forest Gate School, Lister Community School, Kingsford Community School and Plashet School in Newham. During his time in each school, Lutalo will talk to pupils about his experiences of growing up in East London and competing at two Olympic Games, and hopefully inspire local children to follow his footsteps into Sport.

Speaking ahead of the visits, Lutalo Muhammad said:

“Although I train full-time in Manchester now, I’m still a local boy from Walthamstow and being able to spend time with young people who are growing up in the same area as I did is really important to me.

“Taekwondo has opened so many doors to me, and if I can encourage even one young person here to take up a sport, or dedicate time to improving themselves and aiming high in life, then that’s so important to me.”

Ian Leafe, from GB Taekwondo said:

“It’s really great that Lutalo can take time out from his busy training schedule to give something back to his local community. He is a credit to our sport and a great role model for the next generation of Olympic Champions. It’s possible – one might just come from East London!

Gary Palmer, London Sport, Strategic Lead for Children and Young People, said:

“Elite sport can be so powerful in opening young people’s eyes to what’s possible for them. The time that Lutalo has chosen to visit schools in East London could be the thing that makes a difference to a young person’s future.”

The visits come shortly after confirmation from the World Taekwondo Federation (WTF) that the WTF World Grand Prix will be held at London’s Copper Box arena in 2017, with further events taking place in Manchester in 2018 and 2019. As part of the successful bid, British Taekwondo, who are the National Governing body for Taekwondo in the UK will deliver a three-year community Taekwondo programme in London and Manchester to help inspire more young people to take part.