Kate Richardson-Walsh visited Kesgrave High School

Kate Richardson-Walsh features image

“Be the difference” – that was an Olympian’s inspiring message about overcoming adversity and being an LGBT woman in sport on a visit to a Suffolk school.

Students were said to be “absolutely enraptured” by Kate Richardson-Walsh’s message about she how overcame several hurdles to win 375 caps for England and Great Britain at hockey.

She and her wife Helen made history by becoming the first ever same-sex married couple to win an Olympic gold medal together, at Rio in 2016.

Kesgrave High School PHSE lead Faye Cutting invited Kate Richardson-Walsh to talk to year-11 students about “how to succeed and how to be resilient in the face of adversity” as they entered their GCSE year.

The athlete, who captained her country for 13 years and has been made an OBE for her services to sport, then went on a tour of the school and gave an additional talk to high-achieving students.

Andrew Papworth