One of Team GB’s golden stars of London 2012 presented the prizes to some of the top young sporting talent in the Three Rivers and Watford area on Monday.

Double Olympic rowing gold medallist Alex Gregory was the guest speaker at this year’s Three Rivers & Watford School Sports Partnership awards evening at Watersmeet Theatre where pupils’ sporting and leadership successes over the last year were recognised in 12 categories.

The partnership consists of 46 infant, primary, secondary and special schools and is hosted by Rickmansworth School, who saw their Year 8 handball side named Key Stage 3 to 5 Team of the Year while their 13-year-old rising martial arts star Ellie Harber won the Key Stage 3 to 5 Exceptional Performer Award.

The Outstanding Contribution Award for the same Key Stage range was won by Royal Masonic School for Girls’ Freya Witheat, who competed at last year’s English Schools Athletics finals and has represented her school in a number of other sports, with the Key Stage 2 award going to Sarratt’s Jake Palmer Shaw. He competes nationally in Tetrathlon, a multi-sports event comprised of riding, running, shooting and swimming.

Following an introduction by school games organiser Matt Harrington, Gregory urged the children in the audience to take opportunities that come their way, explaining how he was given the chance to try rowing at the age of 17 and a journey to becoming part of the triumphant men’s four on ‘Super Saturday’ at London 2012 had begun.

The five-time world champion, who savoured Olympic golden glory in Rio de Janeiro four years later, also gave the pupils the opportunity to touch his gold medals by handing them out into the audience.

The awards in the younger age groups were presented as rolls of honour in the ceremony which also recognised those who have impressed as coaches, leaders and officials.

Reach Free’s Rory Vorster won the Young Official of the Year (Key Stage 3 to 5) for officiating at rugby tournaments as well as a variety of extra curriculum fixtures, while St Joan of Arc’s Alex Hopkinson won the Key Stage 3 Emerging Leader of the Year. Among his achievements was setting up a football lunchtime club that had to be moved to after school due to its popularity.

A dance choreographer and gymnastics coach, Parmiter’s Isabel McShannon took the prize for the Key Stage 4 Young Leader of the Year, while St Joan of Arc’s Cian McCormack Ronaghan won the Key Stage 5 Outstanding Leader of the Year. Despite being injured throughout the year, he coached the Year 7 and 8 football teams and also helped out at rugby training sessions.

The full list of winners and nominees was:

Young Sportmanship Award (roll of honour): Emily Wright (Abbots Langley); Jude Jones (Alban Wood); Luke Montgomery (Arnett Hills); Kasey Tyson (Chorleywood); Sebastien Bardwell (Christ Church); Amelia Macnamara (Divine Saviour); Blake Argent (Harvery Road); Conor Smyth (Holy Rood); Dominic Martino (Kingsway Junior); Lara Maxwell (Little Green); Olivia Hutchinson (Malvern Way); Janhavi Janhavi (Orchard); Jake Simpson (Parkgate Juniors); Matthew Brett (Rickmansworth Park); Sophie Chiese (Royal Masonic); Daisy Hawkins (Sarratt); Rory Henderson (Shepherd); Sam Davies (St Joseph’s); Matilda Reid (St Mary’s); Holly Enright (St Meryl); Isla Chambers (St Paul’s); Olivia Jones (The Russell); Freddie Lokuge (Yorke Mead).

KS2 Team of the Year: 1, Royal Masonic School for Girls Under-11 gymnastics team; 2, Sarratt swim team; 3, St Joeph’s Year 5/6 football team. Also nominated: Abbots Langley girls football team; Arnett Hills KS2 netball team; Christ Church Year 6 sports squad; Divine Saviour girls football team; Harvey Road football team; Holy Rood Year 4 boys indoor athletics; Kingsway Junior Year 4 dancers; Rickmansworth Park Year 6 girls football team; Yorke Mead Year 4 girls football.

KS3 to 5 Team of the Year: 1, Rickmansworth Year 8 handball team; 2, Royal Masonic School for Girls Under-15 trampolining team; 3, St Clement Danes Year 10 boys rugby team. Also nominated: Reach Free School Year 10 table tennis team.

Play Buddy of the Year (roll of honour): Kingsway Infant School: Dylan Mitchell; Dexter Wray; Amelia Priestley; Lola Pickersgill; Ibrahim Ahmed. Malvern Way Infant and Nursery School: Isla Bridgeman; India-Rose McAlpine Walker; Lily Steele; Hugo Harley; Sam McAdam.

Play Leader of the Year: Sybella Kimber (Abbots Langley); Sophie Kirwood (Arnett Hills); Ali Traxler (Chorleywood); Anna Stoneham (Christ Church); Thomas Natarajan (Divine Saviour); Daniyal Vahora (Harvey Road); Keon Roberts (Holy Rood); Aisha Beckford (Orchard); Clara Morrisey (Parkgate); Rachel Isaiah (Rickmansworth Park); Diya Tarek (Sarratt); Evie Foster (Shepherd); Katie Reilly (St Joseph’s); Reenie Duke (St Mary’s); Alfie Durrant (St Meryl); Noah Bratic (St Paul’s); Leonor Schaff (Yorke Mead).

Young Official of the Year (KS3 to 5): 1, Rory Vorster (Reach Free); 2, Libby Dunster (Royal Masonic School for Girls); 3, Gabby Holland (Parmiter’s). Also nominated: Martinas Abasovas and Joshua Wilton (Francis Combe); Eoin Shepherd (St Joan of Arc).

KS3 Emerging Leader of the Year: 1, Alex Hopkinson (St Joan of Arc); 2, Millie Congerton (Reach Free); 3, Raghav Parekh (St Clement Danes). Also nominated: Katie McCready and Chloe Jeffs (Franic Combe).

KS4 Young Leader of the Year: 1, Isabel McShannon (Parmiter’s); 2, Jamie Ramsden-Morris (Reach Free); 3, Lucy Hawkes (Francis Combe). Also nominated: Clementine Orford (St Joan of Arc).

KS5 Outstanding Leader of the Year: 1, Cian McCormack Ronaghan (St Joan of Arc); 2, Eliza Peters (Parmiter’s); 3, Luke Simpson (St Clement Danes). Also nominated: Annabelle Vorster (Reach Free).

KS2 Outstanding Achievement Award: 1, Jake Palmer Shaw (Sarratt); 2, Jonny Ronchetti (The Russell); 3, Isabel Martin (Christ Church). Also nominated: Amelie Bateman (Arnett Hills); Joshan Teli (Chorleywood); Eva Higson (Divine Saviour); Diana Makarenko (Harvey Road); Laura Careleo (Holy Rood); Tristan Lee (Kingsway Junior); Archie Baker (Little Green); Katy Ord (Parkgate Juniors); Ellie Welch (Rickmansworth Park); Johan Joseph (St Catherine of Sienna); Gina Luckhurst (St Paul’s); Liam Scorer (Yorke Mead).

KS5 Outstanding Contribution Award: 1, Freya Witheat (Royal Masonic School for Girls); 2, Adam Bowers (Rickmansworth); 3, Tyler Channer (Parmiter’s). Also nominated: Aaron Emmanuel (Francis Combe); Lily Tse (Parmiter’s); Roraigh Browne (St Clement Danes); Roisin McEvoy (St Joan of Arc); Brandon Williams (St Joan of Arc).

KS3 to 5 Exceptional Performer Award: 1, Ellie Harber (Rickmansworth); 2, Amelia Daly (Royal Masonic School for Girls); 3, Annabelle and Emma Rayner (Reach Free). Also nominated: Divesh Kapour (Reach Free); Harun Hamid (Rickmansworth); Holly Parkes (Rickmansworth); Charlotte Clarke (Royal Masonic School for Girls); Marcus Ashby (St Clement Danes).