Qi'-Chi Akpai, from Canterbury, wins high jump gold at the National English Schools Championships

Canterbury schoolgirl Qi’-Chi Ukpai is a double national champion.

The 14-year-old won junior high jump gold at the National English Schools Championships in Manchester with a new personal best of 1.71m.

Victory saw the Simon Langton Grammar School for Girls pupil add to the indoor title she won in Sheffield earlier this year.

She’s consolidated her position at the top of the rankings for her age group and now features on the all-time rankings for under-15 girls in the UK - quite an achievement.

She’ll be going for a hat-trick of titles at the UK Athletics Championships in Bedford next month.

Ukpai savoured her Manchester experience and a second national gold medal this year. “It was a really good experience,” she said.

“I went last year but, because of Covid restrictions, I didn’t have the whole experience of going to the hotel with the team.

“It was good fun, not just competing, but the whole three days.

“I didn’t go there expecting to win no matter what, because there are other good girls but I had confidence.

“I like talking to the other girls because we only see other really three times a year.

“My previous PB was 1.69m, so I improved it by 2cm.

“I feel the the run-up is quite important.

“A lot of people don’t focus on it but when the run-up is right, I know the jump is going to be good.

“I preferred this to the indoors just because of the entire experience.”

Ukpai recently branched out into pentathlon, winning South East Regional combined events gold in Crawley last month.

She’ll be part of the Kent team going to the English Schools national finals in Bedford in September.

“I enjoy pentathlon because it’s a lot of things I wouldn’t normally do,” said Ukpai.

“I’m able to balance my time between school, athletics and