King of Shaves is delighted to announce its sponsorship of young athletics star Richard Kilty.

Richard is aged 17 and is from Stockton. In his chosen sport of athletics (60m, 100m, 400m) his recent achievements to date include:

2000 under 11 years (aged 10)
• Tartan games 60m champion and record holder.
• Ranked number 1 in great Britain for under 11years at 60 metres

2001 under 13 years (age 11)
• North east counties indoor champion 60m and record holder.
• North east counties 100m champion and gold medallist
• North east counties 200m champion and gold medallist
• UK national young athletes league 200m gold medallist and GB all-time age 11 record holder

2002 under 13 years (age 12)
• North east counties 60m indoor champion and new record.
• GB all time u13 60m record holder
• GB all-time u13 50m record holder
• North-east counties 100m champion and gold medallist
• North-east counties 200m champion and gold medallist
• UK national young athletes league 100m champion and gold medallist
• UK national young athletes league finals 200m champion and gold medallist

2004 under 15 years (age 14)
• English schools national championships 100m bronze medallist
• English schools national championships 4x100m relay bronze medallist.
• Gateshead harriers 100m all-time record holder 11.30 seconds

Please scroll down to read the latest updates and news from Richard.

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Update: 2009 by Richard

Since starting winter training it has been filled with ups and downs. My training was going better than ever until January where I had an accident which left me with a broken hand and had to be put in a caste. I ran with the caste in the northeast senior and northern championships where I broke the records, but unfortunately at the northern championships 30m from the line I pulled my hamstring. I decided to leave the indoor season out and have 4 weeks total recovery. In the last 2 months my training has been going better than ever, I'm a lot stronger, technically efficient, powerful and physically more mature than last year. My first race is in 2 weeks time which is an open meeting over 100m. Then 2 weeks later I fly out to Italy to compete in a European athletics meeting, where I will get good competition and good conditions which will hopefully help me run a very fast time over both 100m and 200m races. This year my aims for the season are to win a medal at the European under 23 championships in Lithuania and to win the UK under23 championships over 100m and 200m.

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Update: 17 January 2008 by Richard

I am now fully into my winter training, I am training 5-6 days a week. this is a big step up from last year so I am hoping to see big performances this season. my training is going very well under the hands of my coach Jared Deacon, Jared recently won the "UK athletics " performance coach of the year award. I am feeling a lot stronger this winter and it is showing in my training as my times in training are a lot better than I was running last year.

I have been injury free so far, and I am on track where i want to be. The world junior championships in Poland is my main aim this year, and the way my training is going I should perform very well at these championships. I hope to keep up the hard work and keep progressing and stay injury free until the start of the season in April. I have also won presentation awards for my success of my 2007 season.

I won the Teesside sports Emergine sports star award, the northern echo local heroes senior sporting excellence award, And I have also been placed on the "UKathletics" World Class Talent programme for 2008.

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Update: 23 October 2007 by Richard

I have just finished my 2007 season and have achieved all that I wanted, I won the English schools national championships for a 2nd year running, I also represented great Britain at the European junior championships and got a silver medal in the 4x100m relay. Now I have started winter training in preparation for the 2008 season, where my aims are to qualify for the World junior championships in Poland in the 100m or 200m or both. I have stepped my training up a level this year, I am training 5-6 days a week and have now started strength training, this should give huge benefits to my performance this year compared to 2007 as I only trained 3 days a week this year. I am determined to work very hard this winter, and hopefully stay injury free.

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Update: July 2007 by Richard

Click for a larger image.

Click for a larger image.

Recently I won the north of England under 20 championships in the 100m and 200m. I then ran a personal best time at the UK championships of 10.61. This gained me my first ever GB vest, I was selected for the European junior championships in Hengelo. I also competed in the English schools national championships, which was televised on sky sports.

I won this title last year in the under17 age group, this year I won it again in a higher age group winning the title 2 years in a row. Out in Hengelo for the European championships,

I ran in the 4x100m relay and we narrowly missed the gold due to a faulty change over on last leg, but we still got a silver medal in the European championships. My aims for the rest of this season are to lower my personal bests of 10.61 and 21.47.

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Update: May 2007 by Richard

After a great season last year winning the English schools, British schools and a UK schools games I have stepped into the under 20 age group and I am at the bottom of the age group. Indoor, as my first year under 20, I broke the north of England under 20 all time 200m records. The outdoors season has just started and has got off to a good start. I won the northeast counties championships and broke the all time record in 10.79 seconds in very poor conditions of wind and rain.

I also got selected for the UK seniors Inter-counties running against all the seniors in Great Britain. I finished 6th in the final even though this is very good I was disappointed as I thought I could have gained a medal, but is very good considering last year I got knocked out of this competition in the heats and this year made it through heats, semis and the final. I am currently ranked 3rd in the official UK rankings for under 20 men’s 100m.

I have the north of England championships coming next week and the week after the England athletics European under 20 trials where I am hoping to make selection for the relay or the 100m for the European championships, this would be great to do as I am only at the bottom of the age group.