OLYMPIC hopeful Tom Quinn turned back the clock to his school days when he visited Archbishop of York’s Junior School in Bishopthorpe.

Canoeist Quinn is a member of the Great Britain Under-23s squad and has his sights firmly set on a place at the London Olympic Games in 2012.

The 19-year-old, who left the school eight years ago, returned to talk to pupils about his life as a canoeist and his aspirations for the future.

The teenager started canoeing when he was in Year 6 at Archbishop of York’s, during a Cub Scout group’s visit to a watersports centre in North Yorkshire.

That experience prompted him to join the Lower Wharfe Canoe Club and his career took off from there.

School governor Romy Dunn said: “Tom took advantage of two weeks at home before leaving for university to go back to his old school.

“He brought his kayaks into school and talked to the children about setting achievable goals. His goal is to be on the 2012 Olympic team, having come sixth in the European Championships. Not bad just eight years after leaving the junior school.”