‘Great honour’ for schoolboy who defied odds after health problems

Growing up, James Hunter’s health problems meant he was not always able to join in with sports.

Now he is running as part of the biggest sporting event in the world after he was chosen to carry the Torch.

“It is a great honour to do it,” said the 15-year-old, inset, who was born extremely prematurely.

“I’ll feel amazing about it, but I’ll be a bit sad that my friends won’t be able to see me do it because they’ll all be at school.” James, from Scarborough, was given a limited chance of survival after he was born at just 23 weeks.

After spending the first six months of his life in hospital, he has defied all odds and is now a healthy teenager studying for his GCSEs.

The Scalby School pupil used to suffer from chronic lung disease, affecting his stamina.

He also been susceptible to pneumonia and chest infections, causing him to miss a lot of school time. Now, however, he is much stronger and looking forward to running his 300m with the Torch.