COLLEGE students were inspired when they met their Olympic heroes in Tragalgar Square.

BTEC and NVQ Sport pupils at North West Kent College’s campus in Dering Way, Gravesend, greeted Britain’s Olympians and Paralympians during a parade to celebrate their success in Beijing.

The 26 students were part of a crowd of thousands who turned out on October 16, and they got to meet athletes including 14-year-old diver Tom Daley and 32-year-old cycling triple gold medallist Chris Hoy.

These athletes, as well as many more, signed a Union Jack flag taken along by NVQ Sport student Joel Westbury, who says meeting them was “inspiring”.

The 17-year-old said: “It made me proud to see what British athletes can achieve, and meeting them inspired me to achieve the best results in the sports I play and my college course. ”