A former sixth form student who is the British number 2 for wheelchair athletics met the Duchess of Cambridge at a charity event.

Kate Middleton, a patron of the charity SportsAid, met Sheikh Sheikh as she watched young athletes training at a human performance laboratory in west London.

Sheikh, 19, from Forest Gate studied at Newham Sixth Form College, known as NewVIc and is currently being coached by British Paralympic champion David Weir CBE. He said he was inspired by her visit.

Sheikh said: “She was somewhat apologetic, watching me as I was working, and seemed very interested in how the tests work. I felt very inspired by her visit.”

As a NewVIc student, Sheikh studied level 3 BTEC extended diploma in sports (development, coaching and fitness) and was an active member of NewVIc’s Sports Academy as a Sports Leader. NewVIc is one of only four colleges to have been awarded Sports Academy status by national charity, Sports Leaders UK. The college has also been successfully awarded £70,000 by Sport England FE Activation Fund for increasing capacity over three years, including a specific focus on disability provision and leadership.

Beth Harris, NewVIc’s Sports Academy manager, said: “During Sheikh’s time at NewVIc, he always showed himself to be a hardworking, impressive and inspiring athlete. We are very pleased for his success to date and have no doubt that he will continue to be an asset to British athletics.”