Three England youngsters say getting the chance to go behind the scenes at the Commonwealth Games has inspired them to work hard to reach their goals of competing at multi-sport events.

Isaac Kingham, Ella Pashley and Max Radiven were part of the Team England Futures initiative during the Games in Glasgow recently.

They got to see ‘behind the curtain’ of a multi-sport environment, mixing with international talent past, present and future and gaining a better understanding of what it takes to compete at that level.

The programme was funded by Sport England and Commonwealth Games England and delivered by SportsAid. It follows the success of the inaugural programme for Birmingham 2022.

Participating athletes and coaches were nominated by their National Governing Body to take part, having been identified as having future multi-sport Games potential.

Ipswich athlete Isaac, 18, said: “I found it really interesting to be in and around the whole England team from staying in the same place as the coaches and support staff to seeing how they operate in a major games.

“To be surrounded by extremely successful coaches and former athletes from a multitude of sports was really cool as I could ask them many questions and learn a lot from their experiences.”

One of the great athletes mentoring the trio was Christine Ohuruogu, a multiple Olympic Games and World Championships medallist at the 400m, whose career included winning gold at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and at the 2007 and 2013 World Championships.

Isaac said: “I was asking her about what she was doing at my age and she told me that along with her running training she was also in the England team for netball and studying at university in London, which surprised me a lot.

“It made me realise how hard-working she had to be to get to where she was whilst juggling many different things which just on their own are hard to deal with.”

Ella, 17, from Guisborough, said of her experience: “Attending the Commonwealth Games was an inspiring and memorable experience. It gave me the opportunity to meet other talented future athletes from a wide range of sports, all of whom shared the same ambition of one day competing at the Commonwealth Games.

“Talking to them about their journeys, training, and aspirations helped me learn more about their sports while also reinforcing my own goals.

“I was able to watch a variety of different sports in unique competition settings such as athletics, cycling, bowls, netball and basketball, gaining a greater appreciation for the skill, preparation and dedication required to perform at the highest level.

“The experience motivated me to continue working hard towards my dream of representing England at the Commonwealth Games in the future.”

Max, who is 17 and from Edgware, said: “It was a privilege to be part of Team England’s Commonwealth Games experience. It was inspiring to spend time with athletes from so many different sports, hear about their journeys and watch them compete.

“One of the biggest highlights was having Christine Ohuruogu as our group leader. Hearing about her journey to becoming an Olympic, World and Commonwealth champion was really motivating.

“Staying alongside the Team England athletes felt really special, and the whole Games experience has given me even more motivation to keep pushing towards my own goals in table tennis.”

Christine Ohuruogu posted about her work with the initiative on her social media, saying: “The Team England Futures programme in conjunction with Sports Aid is a real asset giving athletes and coaches a real-life look at multi-spot events and they had a chance to pick my brain. We had some great convos and I know these athletes will go far in their respective sports.”