A 14-year-old from Loughton has clinched gold at his first major competition and broke a 16-year-old discus record just a year after accidentally falling into the sport.

Ryan Whitehead, a pupil at Davenant Foundation School, blitzed the school’s discus record of 16 years and on Sunday won gold at the Essex County Championships.

A distance of 41m was enough to see the teenager shatter the long-standing school record. And on Sunday, Whitehead posted a distance of 39.37m to claim gold at the County Championships in fine style.

His success is made all the more remarkable by the fact he fell into the discus completely by chance. Mum Janice Whitehead explained: “He should have competed in the Year 7 sports day but was quite ill and was in hospital instead.

“He missed sports day and when he returned the school asked him to throw discus as it was considered a not very strenuous sport. He threw it, did very well and we took him to Enfield and Haringey Athletics Club and he has been there just over a year.”

She added: “I can’t believe how quickly it has all happened. He trains so hard and I am so proud of him.”

Whitehead’s success means he has qualified for the English Schools Championships