Super-heavyweight Olympic gold-medallist Audley Harrison MBE paid a visit to Walworth Academy on Monday to give pupils the pre-exam pep-talk of their lives.
The six foot six inch champion boxer was met with rapturous applause before giving an inspiring talk to the year-eleven pupils preparing to face their GCSEs next month.
Speaking in the school’s auditorium, Audley, 44, said: “Preparation is the key to success,” and added, “if you tell yourself you can, you will”.
He finished the speech by referencing a piece work by the school’s head boy and girl he had seen displayed by a classroom.
Audley, who was champion at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, read: “Yesterday was your past, so learn from it. Today is the present, so own it. Tomorrow is your future, so write it.”
He finished off by saying loudly, “dream big”.
A spokeswoman for the school said: “Audley had the whole year group on the edge of their seats. We are sure his positive words will resonate with the whole year group for the rest of their lives.”