JET-HEELED Darren Campbell will be dashing to York next Monday to get kids interested in athletics.

The top British sprinter will be at Bootham School as part of the regional launch of Norwich Union's 'Do The Right Thing' campaign to promote athletics among young people.

The 200metres silver medallist from the Sydney Olympics in 2000 will give a talk to pupils, staff and invited guests about his experiences.

At last year's Commonwealth Games in his home city of Manchester Campbell won 200m bronze for England and figured in the gold-winning 4 x 100m team who pipped the Jamaicans.

He then finished third behind Dwain Chambers in the 100m European Championship final in Munich and was controversially disqualified for running on the line in the 200m heats. He bounced back from that disappointment to add another relay gold with the British team a few days later.

Head of physical education at Bootham, Lis Hooley, said: "It is a great honour for us at Bootham to be hosting the launch. The campaign matches our own approach to physical education."

St Olave's School, York, took the Under-12s team trophy in the Independent Schools' Girls athletics competition at Huntington Stadium.

Individual highlight for St Olave's was Lauren Gibson winning the high jump with a leap of 1.26metres.

Jessica Taylor was a double winner for the Mount - setting two competition records. She leapt 1.53m in the Under-15 high jump and clocked 26.6secs for the 200m.

A total of 20 schools took part in the competition which was organised by Harrogate-based Ashville College, who won the Under-15 team event.

Ashville won the U15 relay in 56.1secs and Jo Hackney established a competition best in the long jump with 4.82m.

Katie Mellor (St Peter's) was also in record-breaking form, clocking 2mins 31.2secs for the 800m.

There were events spread across four age groups and other competition records which were broken, included a javelin throw of 24.54m by Kelly Frost (Terrington) in the U12 section which also saw Anna Longajalloux (Mount) win the long jump with a leap of exactly four metres.

Although no records were set in the U13 section, Jessica Walker (St Olave's) won the discus in 17.56m, while Queen Margaret's School, Escrick, had two winners in high jumper Annabel Sampson with a leap of 1.38m and shot putter Charlotte Joplin, who achieved 7.88m.

Emma Mcalister-Hall (St Peter's) produced a storming run to win the U14 1500m in a record time of 4mings 57.9secs. Her team-mate, Sophie Cutbertson won the long jump with 4.44m.

Other North Yorkshire winners in that age group were Georgina Ablett (Ashville College), who took the discus with a throw of 24.20m and Laura May-Leaf (Queen Margaret's).

Other schools taking part in the competition were Ackworth, Bradford GGS, Gateways, Harrogate Ladies College, Hymers College, Mount St Marys, Polam Hall, Queen Etherburgas, Queen Mary's, Sedbergh, Solcoates, Stonyhurst, Catteral Hall and Worksop College.

Trophies were presented by Steve Wright, managing director of Rawcliffes Inter Sport, the competition sponsors.

Updated: 09:04 Wednesday, May 28, 2003