Race walker Dominic King is preparing for his first major outing this weekend when he represents Great Britain over ten kilometres in the European Junior Championships.

King, who lives in Great Horkesley and is a member of Colchester Harriers, will compete in the event in Groscetto, Italy, on Saturday.

It will be his eighth GB appearance, but his first in a major championship.

After his trip to Italy he will then be packing his bags again to join the British under-19 squad to compete against France at the end of the month.

Last weekend, King took part in the five kilometre race at an AAA senior event, finishing fifth overall and second junior in 21mins 50.48secs.

His training schedule has been hampered by a bout of glandular fever.

King, one of twin brothers making their way up the national rankings, is also lacking a specialist walking coach.

As father Steve King explained: "There is no-one close at hand available to coach him, so to progress much further Dominic will have to travel further afield."

To that end, King is actively seeking sponsorship to help with travelling expenses.

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