Top Matelote Swaps Jamaica for Acton

High jumper Germaine Mason to represent Great Britain

One of the young stars of international high jumping is moving to Acton as he aims to represent Britain in future championships.

Germaine Mason grew up in Jamaica but has wanted to represent Britain for some time with most of his family still living in the Acton area. He finished 5th in the World Championships in 2003 and has regularly beaten Stefan Holm, the current Olympic Champion, making him a genuine medal hope in major athletics competitions including the next Olympics in Beijing.

The 22 year old has a personal best of 2.34m is just 3cm short of the UK record and, although recently injury has hampered his career, he is confident that he can re-establish himself at the top level in this country.

He will live with his mother and three brothers in Acton, but will also train in Texas with Sue Humphrey, who coached Charles Austin to the 1996 Olympic gold medal. He has already been given funding under the UK's World Class Performance funding programme.

January 11, 2006