THE Tokyo Olympics are just six months away and Swindon Academy students are rising to challenge.

Inspired by the Games, the children at the school have pledged to run, cycle and row.

They will combine the distances while completing these activities to meet a target of 2,020km by May 24.

One of the school's PE teachers is looking forward to the challenges.

Stefan Rossi told the Adver: “We are very excited to be participating in challenge 2020 along with schools across United Learning (a group of academies).

“Students have set themselves an ambitious target but I have every confidence that they will reach this goal.

"They are all so determined to meet their pledge and are encouraging each other to play their part.

“At Swindon Academy, we are committed to encouraging our students to get active and lead healthy lifestyles.

“Challenge 2020 is the perfect way to do this and I am really excited to see the positive impact this has on our students over the next 20 weeks.”

More than 100 students from Years 7 to 13 at the academy have pledged to meet the target.

They will be completing these in PE lessons, extra-curricular clubs and in their own free time.

Year 10 student Thomas Hatherall is one of the pupils taking part.

He said: “Due to my competitive nature I felt determined to contribute towards the schools target of 2,020km, and smash my personal pledge goal to cycle 20km a week for 20 weeks.”

Another year 10 student explained why they wanted to take part in the pledge.

Louie Wilkins said: “I wanted to take part in the school’s 2020 challenge to improve my cardiovascular fitness, and this was a great opportunity to do that.

"I pledged like Tom to cycle 20km a week for 20 weeks. We encourage each other each week.”

As well as the collective effort, individual students and staff have set themselves personal targets.

Over the next 20 weeks Year 8 student Nico Braccia has pledged to do 20 minutes of exercise a day.

Lita Souter in Year 7 has set a goal of doing 20 minutes of running a day, while Logal Plumley in Year 13 will be doing 200 press-ups and sits-ups a week.

And Joe Paine in Year 10 is planning to cycle 200km.

A spokesperson for the school said: “The academy’s participation in this exciting challenge is one of the ways it delivers an education with character.

"Through activities such as Challenge 2020, the academy seeks to provide its students with opportunities to challenge themselves, succeed through persistence and develop into ambitious, confident young adults.”