Westminster born Lawrence Clarke: I may be a public school boy but I did it myself

Saturday, July 21, 2012
2:21 PM

The 110m hurdler is preparing for the Olympic Games

Westminster born Lawrence Clarke may be an heir to Sir Toby Clarke’s baronetcy but the 110m hurdler will be going to the Olympics.

While Prime Minister David Cameron is unhappy about the amount of public school pupils in the Olympics, Clarke insists that he has done it himself, not through anyone else.

“My father may be a baronet, but that doesn’t make me a fast runner,” Clarke told the Daily Telegraph.

“No one in my family has ever done any sport, so I’m completely on my own without any help from anyone else and without even the help of genes.”

Mr Cameron is looking to change the demographic of Olympic athletes.

“Sport can change lives,” the Prime Minister said. “So why is it that, in so many schools, sport has been squeezed out and facilities run down?

“The result is that independent schools produce more than their fair share of medal winners, and too many children think taking part in sport just isn’t for them. We’ve got to change that.”