29th April 2025
A student from Barking & Dagenham College is sprinting his way to success as he pursues his athletics dream.
Ethan Franklin, 18, has always loved athletics. Having grown up in a sporty family, Ethan was just eight years old when he started going to his first athletics club in Newham, before moving to Woodford Green Athletics Club a few years later. He took part in his first athletics competition when he was in Year 6 of primary school and hasn’t looked back since.
It is sprinting however that Ethan has decided to focus his training around, and he now takes part in 60, 100 and 200m sprints. To keep himself on top form, Ethan trains three days a week at the club, as well as completing two training sessions in the gym too. He does all this whilst also studying at college.
When Ethan finished his GCSEs, he decided he didn’t want to go into sixth form and had heard that Barking & Dagenham College offered great sports courses. After a visit to the campus to see what it would be like himself, he signed up for the two-year Level 3 Diploma in Sport and Physical Activity course and has really been enjoying it. It’s also helped him when it comes to his training.
As Ethan explains: “My college course has meant I’ve learnt all about the body, alongside different skills like coaching. Learning these things means that I’ve been able to apply them to my own training. This has helped me to train better, which has been great.”
The training certainly seems to have paid off. Already this year, Ethan has competed in the Under 20s Athletics Nationals in Sheffield, where he got to the semi-finals. Then just recently he competed at the Mircoplus UK Athletics Indoor Championships in Birmingham where he came 5th overall and not only that, but he also achieved the first fastest time for his age!
Ethan says that although competing is nerve wracking, he just tries to stay calm, take deep breaths and keep focused on the task at hand. A system which definitely seems to be working for him.
Inspired by Ethan’s passion for sprinting, his younger siblings are now also getting into athletics, and just over four years ago, Ethan’s dad became an athletics coach. Ethan is supported all the way, often watched by his family when he is competing, as well as by some of his classmates from Barking & Dagenham College.
Errol Parker, Head of Service Industries at Barking & Dagenham College said: “Ethan is a great student and a brilliant sprinter. It’s fantastic to be able to support him as he continues to progress in his athletics career. He is following in the footsteps of other great Barking & Dagenham College students, like Olympic sprinter Adam Gemili and we can’t wait to see where Ethan’s career will take him.”
As for the future, having run for England before, Ethan is now hoping to run for Team GB. As Ethan adds: “If I can keep achieving fast times and continue to compete well, then I know opportunities will come.”
