Usain Bolt captivated the world in his era of dominance, but that period was all the more special for 110m sprint hurdler Noah Hanson.

The 17-year-old's grandmother is from Bolt’s home parish of Trelawny in Jamaica and growing up in Newham, Hanson’s family were glued to their TV screens whenever the athletics was on.

The Brampton Manor student has been selected to represent Team England in the Commonwealth Youth Games in Trinidad and Tobago alongside more than 1,000 young athletes aged 14-18, from Nations and Territories across the Commonwealth.

The seventh edition of the Commonwealth Youth Games will take place between August 4-11 and Hanson can’t wait to compete on the world stage for the first time.

“I’ve never been that far away from home, let alone competing, so it’s something completely new and you get that extra sense of pride on that international stage," he said.

“Competing against the likes of Jamaica, South Africa and a diverse range of athletes is exciting for me.

“When I was younger, we always watched athletics around the house. Usain was obviously a huge inspiration.

“I know that the world loves him but because he’s from the same place that my family is from it felt more special to us.

“Watching him turn into a superstar from nothing and having the same hometown as my grandma inspired me so much."

Hanson took his sprinting more seriously at the age of 12 after discovering his speed in the school playground and quickly went up the running ranks at Newham & Essex Beagles.

The A-level student got into hurdles by accident but admitted he thrives in and among the high-risk, high-reward environment.

And after being pipped to gold by his friend at English Schools last year, Hanson used all his drive and motivation from that race to qualify for Trinbago 2023.

“I get a sense of excitement because things could go wrong and there’s a bit of risk involved,” he added.

“Last year at English Schools I really wanted to win, and I just got beaten on the line by my friend.

“I was happy for him, but I wanted to win and after that moment I thought ‘I’m here for the long run’ because there’s no better feeling than getting gold.

“The Senior Commonwealths is definitely where I want to be - there are some variables, the hurdles will still go up in height, but I also sprint so I'm going to keep that up for as long as I can too because it helps with my hurdles.

“I’m going to see how far I can go with athletics because that’s my ultimate passion.”

Follow Team England’s performances at Trinbago 2023 at www.teamengland.org #BringItHome