Canterbury’s Qi’-Chi Ukpai on a first summer as an under-17 athlete, trying her hand at a heptathlon and winning at the Schools International Athletics Board competition in Grangemouth, Scotland

From winning an international competition to breaking prestigious club records, Canterbury teenager Qi’-Chi Ukpai’s first summer as an under-17 athlete has already proved a fantastic one.

Ukpai, who has just finished Year 10 at Simon Langton Grammar School for Girls, is thriving on the field.

She jumped 12.35m at the Schools International Athletics Board (SIAB) triple jump competition for victory on July 15 in Grangemouth, Scotland, having cleared 1.68m in the high jump at the under-17 England Athletics Championships in Sheffield for second in mid-February.

But it was her personal-best of 12.35m which brought her most recent major success.

“I’m very happy,” she reflected.

“Obviously, it’s the furthest I’ve ever travelled to a competition. So we went up the day before and took our time.

“When we got to the hotel, I walked around and got the blood flowing again after being in the car that long.

“I think it was a really good experience. Obviously, I’ve been away, staying in a hotel with teams before, but never with the England team in another country.

“So that was a good experience.”

Asked if she was happier with her SIAB victory or her best distance, the 15-year-old, who became a National English Schools’ girls intermediate triple jump champion in Birmingham in late June, replied: “Both!

“I was going for another PB and I got that, which was good. I was pleased with the distance because, at the moment, distances are getting more important when it comes to selection for international teams.

“But the win was great as well.”

Her SIAB performance was also a Blackheath & Bromley AC under-17 girls’ club triple jump record for Ukpai. Another who holds some of their club records is World Championship gold medallist sprinter Dina